Cybercriminals are constantly shifting up a gear. This is evident from research by Fortinet, an American provider of cybersecurity solutions, and media company CNBC.

The report shows that criminals are taking advantage of the growing attack surface of hybrid employees and IT. To do so, they are using sophisticated and particularly persistent strategies that are more destructive, ruthless and less predictable than in the past.

The multitude of threats poses a host of new challenges for security teams. Some threats first came to light last year. Others turned out to be ubiquitous and to cause just as much damage as in previous years. It is the combination of old and new threats that puts security measures to the test.