3 Hot Tech Security Stocks

Editor's note: As part of our partnership with PBS's Nightly Business Report, TheStreet's James Rogers joined NBR (watch video and read transcript here) to discuss tech security stocks getting attention after a spate of high-profile data breaches.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The recent data breaches at Sony(SNE), Epsilon and EMC's(EMC) RSA security division provide ample evidence -- if any was needed -- that hackers are on a tear.

"For hackers, the RSA breach was akin to attacking Fort Knox," Laura DiDio, principal analyst at ITIC, told TheStreet. "The hackers are now more organized and the attacks themselves are becoming more sophisticated and more pernicious."

Corporate America's pain, however, could be a gain for investors, as recent events focus attention squarely on security firms capable of locking down data and networks. Cue Symantec(SYMC), Fortinet(FTNT) and Websense(WBSN), which tout their wares as a way for businesses to avoid embarassing data breaches.

"Security is a hot topic, all that you have to do is look at the headlines and the threat environment," Brad Zelnick, an analyst at Macquarie Research, told TheStreet. "Whether it's Sony or the Epsilon breach, there's clearly a lot to cover."

"The truth is that the fear factor is very real," added ITIC's DiDio. "May was a banner month for corporate security breaches -- [the month] is off to a roaring start, from a hacker's perspective."

Whether its securing data in the cloud, Web security or building multi-purpose hardware, Symantec, Fortinet and Websense are all well positioned to ride the current security wave. Read on for more on why these companies are top tech security stocks.