New research has shown that cybercrime really does pay, but not for the people you'd expect. 

A study conducted by a company review site to find out which firms are the most generous when it comes to remuneration found that the best-paying gig was to be had at an American multinational cybersecurity company. 

Glassdoor's list of the 25 highest-paying companies in the US for 2019 was topped by Palo Alto Networks, which has its headquarters in Santa Clara, California. The cybersecurity firm, which employs over 5,000 people around the world, rewards workers for their efforts with a median total salary of $170,929. This figure dwarfs the Bay Area's average median base pay, which is $73,128. 

After reporting a 29% year-over-year increase in revenue for the 2018 fiscal year, in which they made $2.3bn, Palo Alto Networks certainly has the cash to splash. Such bountiful paychecks are likely to have been a contributing factor when Palo Alto Networks was ranked number one as "best place to work" in the Bay Area by SF Business Times in 2016.

"Not surprisingly, tech companies dominate the list of high-paying employers, including companies like Twitter, Google, and LinkedIn," Glassdoor's researchers wrote. "The three highest-paying employers in 2019 were all tech companies paying a median total salary over $160,000 a year."

In fact, every one of the top ten highest-paying companies was tech related. Second after Palo Alto Networks was NVIDIA, which has more than 50 offices worldwide and is also based in Santa Clara. The median total salary NVIDIA pays employees is $170,068.