Internet-based attacks on critical systems such as gas, power and water have increased around the world, a report suggests.

Security firm McAfee surveyed 200 IT executives working for utility companies in 14 countries. Eight out of 10 said their networks had been targeted by hackers during the past year.

Most of the reported security breaches took the form of distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks. These typically involve a network of computers, under the control of criminals, overwhelming a company's internet-connected systems.

China was seen as the most likely source of attacks, followed by Russia and the United States.

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