Cybersecurity stocks are increasingly viewed as one of the most compelling long-term investment opportunities in the technology sector, driven by the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and the growing sophistication of digital threats.
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Consider Project Glasswing, launched by Anthropic in April. This initiative was part of the company’s unreleased Claude Mythos AI model, which reportedly uncovered thousands of previously unknown vulnerabilities across software systems around the globe — and then proactively offered fixes for those weaknesses before hackers could exploit them, let alone discover them.
As businesses, governments and critical infrastructure become more dependent on connected systems, cyber defense tools are more important than ever. That is creating a huge tailwind for cybersecurity stocks, and the following list of leading companies represents some of the best ways to invest in the continued growth of cyber risks and solutions in the years ahead:
| Stock | Market capitalization |
| Palo Alto Networks Inc. (ticker: PANW) | $192 billion |
| CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. (CRWD) | $148 billion |
| Fortinet Inc. (FTNT) | $88 billion |
| Cloudflare Inc. (NET) | $70 billion |
| Zscaler Inc. (ZS) | $25 billion |
| Okta Inc. (OKTA) | $14 billion |
| Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP) | $13 billion |
Palo Alto Networks Inc. (PANW)
Palo Alto Networks is the largest cybersecurity stock on Wall Street as measured by market value or by annual revenue. That revenue is growing fast despite that massive scale, too, with expansion of more than 20% expected in both fiscal year 2026 and 2027. Major clients include JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Bank of America Corp. (BAC), proving that the world’s leading financial institutions trust PANW to protect their sensitive information. Though shares have underperformed over the last 12 months, long-term gains of more than 250% make this one of the best cybersecurity stocks out there.
CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. (CRWD)
Tracking only slightly behind Palo Alto when it comes to market value, CrowdStrike is also tracking 20% annual growth rates as it continues to prove its value to big-name clients. A market leader in network and cloud security, CRWD has been an early adopter of AI-driven solutions to provide world-class cybersecurity protections. Shares are up more than 30% in the last year as this tech leader has proven its value to investors as well as to big-name customers, including Oracle Corp. (ORCL), Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) and Amazon Web Services.
Fortinet Inc. (FTNT)
Fortinet is widely respected for its high-performance firewalls that include its FortiGate products, providing secure access for leading enterprises and government entities around the world. Particularly in the age of cloud data, this advanced security across hybrid IT environments is in demand now more than ever. Growth rates are a bit lower than the prior stocks, with “only” 15% expansion in revenue predicted this fiscal year. However, the five-year gains of about 170% in FTNT rival those of the best-performing cybersecurity stocks out there.
Cloudflare Inc. (NET)
Anyone who uses the internet regularly is familiar with Cloudflare authentication processes that help websites stay protected from hackers. Distributed denial-of-service attacks have become a chronic concern over the last several years, and malicious disruptions to normal traffic to a website can cost businesses millions in lost revenue — and even more in reputational risk. Cloudflare is tracking almost 30% revenue growth in both 2026 and 2027 as it remains the go-to source of protection for websites worldwide.
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Zscaler Inc. (ZS)
Zscaler is a cloud-based cybersecurity platform that prides itself on a model of “zero trust.” That means ensuring the most secure internet and application access for all users at all times, including remote and distributed users who are becoming increasingly common in this interconnected digital age. Zscaler has a bit of a checkered past, with shares down about 60% from their peak of almost $370 a share in 2021, back when it was hyped as the hottest cybersecurity stock out there. The company is still expected to grow revenue at a 15% to 20% rate through 2030, and after settling into a new pricing range, it may now be a bargain for investors who can look past prior volatility.
Okta Inc. (OKTA)
Okta is a cloud-based identity and access management company that specializes in single-sign-on (SSO) services and multi-factor authentication (MFA). SSO and MFA are jargon to most consumers, but anyone who is involved in using, building or maintaining websites for their employer will recognize the importance of this technology. Security is critical, after all, but so is the ability for employees to easily log on to the tools they need and do their jobs without remembering 97 different passwords. OKTA has rolled up many of its peers in the last few years, including Axiom Security, Spera Security and Uno. This has given it unrivaled scale and made it a go-to provider of identity solutions.
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP)
Check Point Software Technologies provides AI-powered cybersecurity solutions that emphasize prevention to protect businesses and governments worldwide. Its main areas of focus include cloud, network and remote workspace environments. Check Point’s CloudGuard security helps prevent threats like ransomware and phishing, which have hard costs if they succeed but can also create big time sucks for organizations that are left to filter out these threats on their own. Revenue growth is slower than some other stocks in the sector, and shares are down about 50% from their 2021 highs, but a forward price-to-earnings ratio of about 11 makes CHKP one of the most affordable cybersecurity picks on Wall Street right now.
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7 Best Cybersecurity Stocks to Buy originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 05/14/26: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
