Allianz Life has confirmed a major cyber breach that exposed sensitive data from most of its 1.4 million customers in North America.

The attack was traced back to 16 July, when a threat actor accessed a third-party cloud system using social engineering tactics.

The cybersecurity breach affected a customer relationship management platform but did not compromise the company's core network or policy systems.

Allianz Life acted swiftly by notifying the FBI and other regulators, including the attorney general's office in Maine.

Those impacted are offered two years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection. The company has begun contacting affected individuals but declined to reveal the full number involved due to an ongoing investigation.

No other Allianz subsidiaries were affected by the breach. Allianz Life employs around 2,000 staff in the US and remains a key player within the global insurer's North American operations.