Another day, another massive data breach that compromises customer privacy and costs companies millions of dollars.

The most recent attack, reported last week, hit health insurer Anthem ANTM, +0.45% . As many as 80 million customer accounts were compromised.And one of 2014’s biggest stories was the hack on Sony SNE, +1.73% apparently by North Korea. In 2013, Target Corp. TGT, +0.82% suffered a gigantic data breach that wound up costing the company around $250 million.

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Here’s why savvy investors should regard these alarming headlines as opportunities:

As cybersecurity concerns rise, that means big business for tech companies at the heart of security and data protection. Corporations will not be simply reactive to attacks ,but will spend proactively to protect the organization.

It’s not just businesses that need to protect their customers. Consider that the Department of Defense budget for cybersecurity soared in 2014 to $447 million, up almost 135% from $191 million in 2013.

How can you tap the potential of cybersecurity? Here are five stocks whose technology is in demand:

1. Palo Alto Networks

Shares of Palo Alto Networks PANW, +0.07% are up more 140% since January 2013 — triple the S&P 500’s SPX, -1.11% return in the same period – and has seen impressive growth in its revenue even if profits remain elusive.

Consider that Palo Alto Networks finished fiscal 2012 with $255 million in revenue and is forecast to hit about $850 million in revenue this year — better than 230% growth.

The biggest product of this cybersecurity stock is a proprietary firewall that protects a wide variety of businesses worldwide, trusted by firms like Motorola Solutions and Raymond James Financial.

While the lack of profits is a negative, the company has almost $1.1 billion in cash and investments on the books, so it remains well-capitalized and positioned for growth. Remember, the company went public in 2012, so it’s still in the early stages of growth.

Palo Alto Networks reports a bit later than most tech stocks, with earnings the first week of March. But considering its strong performance in its most recent quarter, including 50% revenue growth year-over-year, investors should be optimistic the momentum will continue.

2. Fortinet

Fortinet Inc. FTNT, +1.67% is smaller than Palo Alto Networks, with a market cap of about $5 billion. However, that makes the network-security provider a potential acquisition target in this age of cybersecurity concerns. Especially since Fortinet operates at a small profit.

In addition, Fortinet has seen impressive top-line growth. Fiscal 2014 revenue hit $770 million, up almost 80% from $433 million in fiscal 2011.

Fortinet is also well-capitalized and boasts some $1.1 billion in cash and investments — and is debt-free.

Bears will note that Fortinet Inc had a difficult quarterly report a few weeks ago, with shares slipping after the company posted a 43% dip in net income. But the details looked all right, with adjusted profit in line with expectations, revenue up 26%, and total billings up 35% year-over-year. As a result, the selloff didn’t last more than a few days and Fortinet stock bounced back.

Fortinet is the perfect “Goldilocks” cybersecurity stock — not too big and not too small. It serves large clients including the Nasdaq OMX exchange and Indiana University, while its growth metrics can impress in years ahead.

3. Symantec

Symantec US:SYMC has been choppy since the beginning of 2013, after revenue growth started to stagnate and disappoint investors. But the security company has since undergone big changes, including instituting a dividend of 15 cents per quarter (good for a roughly 2.3% yield) and announcing significant executive changes and business restructuring.

These moves included naming a new CEO in Michael Brown, laying off 2,000 workers, and spinning-off its data-storage division into a separate company to allow the core security business to grow and thrive.

The past year has been good for Symantec stock, with shares up about 21% vs. 15% for the S&P 500 SPX, -1.11% . Investors may not want to wait for the spinoff to buy into this security leader. With a market valuation of around $18 billion and strong cash flows, Symantec may be one of the most stable and established cybersecurity options on Wall street.

Yes, Symantec Corp. did just report lackluster earnings, with weaker revenue in two of its three key segments. But Symantec isn’t a fast-moving growth stock. The dividend is decent and the restructuring and spin-off efforts should unlock value. With a forward P/E of about 12.8, you may not find a better bargain in the space right now.

4. Cisco Systems

Even bigger than Symantec is megacap tech stock Cisco Systems CSCO, -1.38% . While the company has its fingers in many pies, Cisco is in the upper echelon of IT companies — and security naturally is a big part of what it does.

Consider that Cisco just acquired Sourcefire for $2.7 billion last year, as a way to bolster its cybersecurity offerings.

Clearly Cisco is a diversified play on enterprise tech, but if you’re looking to dabble in cybersecurity without taking a focused play — and the risk — Cisco maybe the best choice. It’s stable and established, with a $140 billion market cap, and pays a nice 2.8% dividend.

What’s more, the dividend is sure to grow; at 19 cents a quarter, it’s already triple the 6-cent quarterly payout Cisco instituted back in 2011 — but still reflects only a third of total profits and thus is likely sustainable.

Cisco trumpeted a return to growth in its November quarterly report, and noted in its earnings release that it posted the “strongest [fiscal] Q1 revenue in history.” Investors seem to be buying the narrative, with Cisco stock up almost 9%in the past three months while the S&P 500 gained 2%.

The company reports earnings in a few days, but investors may want to get in beforehand given the strong momentum lately and bargain P/E of about 12.

5. Check Point Software Technologies

Check Point Software Technologies CHKP, -1.65% is a network security specialist that has been doing quite well recently. Shares are up about 18% in the past six months, double the S&P 500’s performance in the same period.

Check Point is a $14 billion company that is a bit more established than some of the smaller players in terms of scale, but light years ahead of most dedicated cybersecurity firms in terms of profitability. It carries no debt and an impressive $2.7 billion or so in cash and investments.

What’s more, the reliable profits allow the company to commit to stock buybacks in a big way. Just recently, Checkpoint announced an expansion of its multiyear repurchase program to $1.5 billion in total — roughly a tenth of its current value.

The company is still growing, too, with both revenue and profits moving up by roughly double-digits in the most latest earnings report from January.

Though not as cheap as some of the other stocks on this list, Checkpoint seems fairly valued with a forward price-to-earnings ratio of around 17 — in line with the broader market, but certainly cheaper than most comparable tech stocks.