What Is IHAK? iShares Cybersecurity and Tech ETF

The iShares Cybersecurity and Tech ETF (IHAK) is a thematic fund from BlackRock that tracks the NYSE FactSet Global Cyber Security Index. It holds about 50 companies that build cybersecurity hardware, software, and services, giving investors a single-ticker way to own the cyber theme across developed and emerging markets.

What distinguishes IHAK is its balanced construction. Rather than concentrating in a handful of mega-cap technology names, the fund weights its holdings fairly evenly, so pure-play security vendors like Tenable, Qualys, and CrowdStrike each carry a meaningful share. That spreads company-specific risk across the group.

Approximate weights as of mid-2026; refresh quarterly from BlackRock (iShares)'s fund page. Each ticker links to its individual stock guide in Walnut.

IHAK's roster is dominated by dedicated cybersecurity companies. Top holdings include Tenable, Qualys, Varonis, Okta, BlackBerry, Palo Alto Networks, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Zscaler, and Fortinet, with each of the largest names sitting around 4% to 5% of the fund.

Because the index selects and weights toward cyber specialists, IHAK is a relatively pure expression of the theme. The holdings span endpoint protection, network security, cloud and identity security, and vulnerability management, so the fund captures several distinct corners of the cybersecurity market rather than a single niche.

The main peer is First Trust's CIBR, the largest cybersecurity ETF, which leans more on its biggest holdings and includes some networking and infrastructure names. IHAK is smaller and more evenly weighted, so it behaves more like a balanced basket of pure-play cyber vendors than a fund led by a few giants.

Global X's BUG is another comparison, also a focused cyber fund. Across the group the differences come down to index methodology, weighting, and size. IHAK's edge is its balanced, pure-play exposure at a competitive 0.47% fee; CIBR's edge is scale and liquidity. The best fit depends on whether you prefer even weighting or a larger, more concentrated fund.

IHAK's returns track the fortunes of enterprise cybersecurity spending and the valuations of high-growth software and security stocks. The fund surged during the 2020 pandemic shift to remote work, fell sharply in the 2022 tech drawdown, and recovered as security budgets kept growing. Expect volatility in line with growth tech.

The long-term case rests on rising cyber threats, cloud migration, AI-driven attacks and defenses, and regulation that pushes companies to spend more on security. Risks include high valuations, competitive pressure among vendors, and the swings that come with any concentrated thematic fund. Past performance does not predict future results.

IHAK can suit growth-oriented investors who want targeted exposure to cybersecurity and are comfortable with the volatility of the technology sector. It works best as a thematic satellite alongside a diversified core, letting you tilt toward a structural trend without picking individual security stocks.

Walnut is not an investment adviser, and IHAK is not right for everyone. It is a single-theme fund concentrated in richly valued growth companies, so it can fall hard in tech selloffs and offers little income. Weigh it against your goals, time horizon, and existing technology exposure before adding it.

IHAK trades on any major US brokerage, including Robinhood, Fidelity, Schwab, and Public. You buy it like a stock by entering the ticker IHAK, and many brokers offer fractional shares so you can start with a small dollar amount instead of a full share.

With Walnut, you can connect your brokerage to track IHAK alongside your other holdings and thematic baskets. Walnut mirrors your real positions read-only and shows how each is doing against your target weights, while any actual trades continue to take place at your own broker.

ETFs are passive bundles; thematic baskets in Walnut let you concentrate within them. If you hold IHAK as a core position, these are the themes you might layer on as satellites.

IHAK is a clean, near-equal-weight way to own the cybersecurity theme without over-betting on any one vendor. At 0.47% it prices in line with peers like CIBR and BUG. Best used as a thematic satellite for growth-oriented investors comfortable with tech volatility, not as a core holding.

Whether IHAK is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is IHAK a buy?

IHAK yields ~0.2% as of mid-2026, paid by passing through the dividends of its underlying holdings. For the payout schedule, history, and how the distributions are taxed, see IHAK dividend: yield and schedule.