Benny Czarny Releases Cybersecurity Upside Down

OPSWAT founder and CEO Benny Czarny has released Cybersecurity Upside Down, a 202-page book that calls for a prevention-first approach to cybersecurity. Released January 14, 2026, the book argues that organizations should treat every incoming file as untrusted until it has been verified as safe. It examines Deep Content Disarm and Reconstruction, or Deep CDR™, as an alternative to security models centered on detecting threats after they enter a system. The book is available through Amazon and Blurb.

A Prevention First Argument

“For years the cybersecurity industry tried to achieve prevention through detection which worked for a time. But that model is broken. Attackers can now generate new threats faster than we can detect them, and AI is accelerating the problem.”

File Regeneration Focus

The book explains Czarny’s case for Deep CDR technology, which assumes files may be malicious and automatically rebuilds safe versions before they enter systems. It also compares CDR with other cybersecurity solutions and questions whether signature-based and AI-driven detection tools can keep pace with current threats.

Its practical guidance is aimed at business leaders, as well as governments and policymakers considering cybersecurity standards and national initiatives. Illustrations by artist Serge Seidlitz accompany the book’s security concepts.

Lessons From OPSWAT

Cybersecurity Upside Down also covers Czarny’s experience building OPSWAT from a startup into a global cybersecurity company focused on critical infrastructure. He presents the book as a reflection on the limits of detection-based security models.

“This book is my personal reflection on why there is an urgent need for a fundamental reset on tackling cyber threats. The message is simple: it is time to reverse the detection-based models we have relied on and think prevention first.”

RSA Conference Book Signing

Czarny will sign copies at OPSWAT’s RSAC booth #854 during RSA Conference 2026. The scheduled sessions are March 23 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., March 24 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., and March 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.