MANSFIELD – Thriving businesses help benefit communities and the people who live and work in the community.

But thriving businesses are also a target for cybercriminals — according to a federal cybercrime prosecutor who spoke at Ohio State University in Mansfield in November.

“Prosperous businesses benefit the community and also put you at risk,” said Dan Riedl, Chief of the National Security Unit (NSA) in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.

The unit prosecutes those who threaten our country, engage in international or domestic terrorism, or commit cyber crimes.

“What most cyber criminals are after is your money, and what we do in law enforcement is try to confront and overcome cyber threats,” he continued.

Riedl specializes in cases involving ransomware, malware, terrorism and intellectual property theft.

He is the lead attorney on several complex cyber matters, including the Trickbot malware case, which resulted in the conviction of two Trickbot programmers and sanctions in the United States and the United Kingdom against 11 Trickbot actors.

He was the second of three professionals to speak at the “Cybersecurity: Thinking Globally, Working Locally” series – sponsored by Ohio State Mansfield and the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development.

Technological disruptions

Originally from Mansfield, he spoke about the changes in society and technology from when he lived in Mansfield as a boy to the present day.

He especially reminded everyone of the importance of “technological disruptions,” which have been a part of American society since its inception.

Previous disruptions included the invention of the railroad and the telegraph, the automobile, the telephone, and the cell phone.

Most recently, society has seen a rapid evolution of cyber tools in the form of cryptocurrencies, the dark web, and new apps for everything from texting, messaging, and dating, as well as increased reliance on password security and encryption.

As technology changes, law enforcement must continue to adapt and improve their methods of investigating criminals, according to Riedl.

“Before these tools came along, criminals had very limited ways of communicating. Now, they have access to each of these apps and more,” he said.

International issues

One of the biggest challenges for federal prosecutors like Riedl is that cybercriminals often live in other countries, and often in countries that do not extradite defendants to the US.

“We can find out who they are and where they live, but as long as they live in a country that doesn’t want to extradite, we’re limited in how we can prosecute,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean foreign cybercriminals are off the hook. Riedl talked about at least one occasion where a cybercriminal traveled to the US for a layover and was immediately arrested.

Similarly, cybercriminals who travel outside non-extraditing countries can be sent to the US for prosecution.

The federal government can also disrupt criminal IP addresses, according to Riedl, and restrict the financial activity of cybercriminals.

Riedl said businesses and the federal government have long had a “defensive posture” toward cybercrime that needs to change to an “offensive posture.”

“The way we’ve approached cybercrime, especially in the last 10-20 years, is from a defensive position, and particularly in the United States, we’ve relied on American corporations to defend against cyberattacks,” he said.

“We need to not only build bigger and better walls, but also go on the offensive and try to disrupt these criminals.”

What’s next

Helen Patton, Cyber ​​Security Advisor at Cisco, will conclude the series on December 4 with the presentation “The Power of Public/Private Partnerships for Small Business Security.”

Jason Opal, dean and director of The Ohio State University at Mansfield, said the series is part of the Ohio Land Grant’s mission to educate and inform the public.

“In addition to teaching students and creating knowledge, our mission is to engage directly with the issues facing the people of Ohio and provide them with concrete solutions and real support,” he said.

“Right now, cyber attacks are a clear and present risk to almost everyone, so we’re going to help people defend themselves, defend their businesses and their households.”