The Novel · Available Now
The Downforce
A novel about speed, trust, and the cost of doing the right thing.
Mira Vasquez becomes Chief Security Officer of Crestline, a fast-growing legal-AI company operating under a federal consent decree, and within sixty days the disaster the board hired her to prevent is happening again on her watch: a breached vendor, a stack of regulators, and an AI feature quietly failing in production. Holding all of it herself nearly breaks her, her team, and her family. Over 150 days, she learns the hardest lesson of the job, that security built right is not the brake on a company’s speed but its downforce, the force that presses it to the road and lets it take the turns faster than a company without it could survive, and that the thing she has to let go of is the very thing that has been keeping her afraid. A business novel for the people who actually run security and the executives who manage them.
A taste of the idea behind the title: Security Is the Downforce.
Available in Kindle and paperback.
“This book captures the raw reality of cybersecurity at scale.” — Renana Friedlich-Barsky, CISO, LPL Financial
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Praise for The Downforce
What Security Leaders Are Saying
Having worked alongside Assaf and navigated the high-stakes chaos of massive incident response under his leadership, I can say with certainty that this book captures the raw reality of cybersecurity at scale. The Downforce isn't a playbook or a manual; it's a gripping story that reflects the high-pressure act of managing technical crises while protecting business trust. The chaotic energy, the split-second decisions, and the stress of executive communication are incredibly authentic to what we experienced. Assaf distilled years of real-world, high-consequence battle scars into an invaluable, highly engaging masterclass.
Renana Friedlich-Barsky
CISO, LPL Financial
Finally, there's a book that absolutely nails the high-stakes reality of running security at a fast-paced tech company. The story perfectly captures the tension of vendor breaches, regulators, and the immense personal toll the job takes on a leader. Highly recommended for any security professional or executive, or really anyone who wants a fresh perspective on high-stakes roles.
Dimitry Shvartsman
CPO & Co-Founder, Prime Security
This is a book about a cybersecurity leader and her first 155 days at a new company. It's also a lesson in self-care, leadership, and navigating work with a family. What most surprised me was how well the story stayed engaging while wading through some dense technical maneuvers. It's hard to keep a narrative compelling when some of the central action is between lawyers and security people, but this was Grisham-level good! For me the biggest takeaway was an understanding of how different rooms are for different decisions — sometimes the boardroom isn't the right place to lay everything out, and the backroom meetings should happen first. I highly recommend the book to any aspiring security leader, first-time executive, or anyone embarking on a leadership journey.
Adam Arellano
Field CTO, Harness