THE number of successful attacks on Britain’s computer systems has soared by more than 4,450 per cent since George Bush made his “axis of evil” speech a year ago in a move that experts say is directly linked to British support for the US policy on Iraq.

Until last year Britain was rarely a target for cyber attackers, Mi2g, a company which monitors global internet hacking, has revealed.

Now British companies and public bodies are the victims of 1,320 digital attacks each month. In February 2002 hackers made just 29 successful attempts to break into key British IT infrastructures.

D. K. Matai, chief executive of mi2g, said: “There is evidence linking the increase in computer attacks to British support for the US policy on Iraq.

“In fact, even prior to last summer, the proportion of attacks by hackers from pro-Islamic sources was negligible. Now we estimate that at least 15 per cent of digital attacks are from these sources. A range of pro-Islamic groups are working together to target the infrastructures of countries such as the UK and the US.”

While the US has long topped the global table for the most online attacks, the UK has traditionally languished near the bottom. Over the last year Britain has moved up to second place. At the same time, France has dropped in the ratings from seventh to take the 16th slot.