Cybersecurity stocks

(by market cap)                
Ticker       Company name Mkt Cap▼

• HACK  Cybersecurity ETF
• CHKP Check Point Software Technologies 15.29B Israel-based
• PANW    Palo Alto Networks  11.78B  California-based;  offers a network security platform
• SPLK      Splunk   7.88B  California-based; 
• FEYE      FireEye     6.83B   California-based; virtual machine-based security platform that provides real-time protection to enterprises and governments
• FTNT      Fortinet    5.78B  California-based; provides network security solutions
• PFPT  Proofpoint 3.81B
• CYBR     Cyberark Software 1.92B Israel-based
• MIME Mimecast  1.43B   provider of cloud security
• QLYS     Qualys     1.68B   California-based; a provider of cloud security and compliance solutions
• CUDA  Barracuda Networks 1.24B   email protection and next-generation firewall software
• VDSI VASCO Data Security International  923.61M ; Illinois-based

Major players providing security features for enterprises, including firewalls, anti-malware and application control products:

• MSFT Microsoft  354.46B ; Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) acquired cybersecurity startup Aorato late last year, and partnered up with Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAM) in mid-2014 in an effort to beef up its pool of cybersecurity R&D.
• CSCO Cisco Systems      150.10B
• VMW VMware           37.12B
• JNPR Juniper Networks    9.49B

Other companies

• Blue Coat Systems (private; acquired by Bain Capital for 2.4B in March 2015)

Cybercrime is a Bigger Problem Than Most Realize

Many of the major players in the cybersecurity industry have been on a tear as the number of hacks and cyberattacks continues to grow exponentially. Some examples:

• Feb 2015:  The data for some 80 million healthcare enrollees of Anthem (NYSE: ANTM) was compromised by hackers; Anthem is the second-largest health insurer in the U.S.
• Feb 2015:  Intuit's (NASDAQ: INTU) TurboTax was shut down because of a number of “suspicious” tax return filings. It appears that hackers were using stolen identity information to claim tax refunds.
• And cyberhackers may have stolen $1 billion from 100 banks across the globe over a two-year period, according to news reports.
• 2014 was already a landmark year in terms of cyberhacking. Home Depot (NYSE: HD), Target (NYSE: TGT) and JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) were all targeted by cyber criminals last year.
• The hacking of Sony (NYSE: SNE) also put cybersecurity on investors' maps.

Cybersecurity Spending Is Growing Rapidly

Cybersecurity spending is estimated to have hit $71 billion last year — an 8% increase over 2013’s numbers. And spending is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 10% through 2020.

Given how much personal — particularly financial — information is being stored on servers these days, those numbers should come as no surprise.