Can't agree more with Andy about this topic.  I've done a tour in cybersecurity and it's a scary world, especially for the uninitiated.  It's no wonder it's the topic that keeps utility COOs and CISOs up at night.  If experts get nervous then our customers certainly should be, and news about hacks at a utility lead to apprehension and misunderstanding among customers.  

However, utilities can take advantage of these events to get preempt customer concerns.  If your utility wasn't a victim of a hack, don't rest on your laurels or keep quiet and wait for the news to die down.  Take the moment to let your customers know about the event anyway and what measures you've taken to protect their data.  It's the perfect opportunity to email customers with advice on how to protect themselves and their personal data, and demonstrate that their utility understands their needs.  

And, it probably also helps to have a package ready to inform customers in case you are the victim of a security event.  You can never be too careful, especially with your customers' data.