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MANSFIELD, Ohio – Prosperous businesses help benefit communities and the individuals who live and work within the community.

But prosperous businesses are also a target of cybercriminals – according to a federal cybercrimes prosecutor who spoke at ������̳ at Mansfield in November.

“Prosperous businesses benefit the community and also puts 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 NSA unit prosecutes those who threaten our country, engage in international or domestic terrorism or commit cybercrimes.

“What most cybercriminals are after is your money and what we are doing in law enforcement is trying to confront and overcome cyberthreats,” he continued.

Riedl specializes in cases involving ransomware, malware, terrorism and theft of intellectual property. He is the lead attorney on several complex cyber matters including the , which resulted in the conviction of two Trickbot programmers and sanctions in the United States and United Kingdom against  11 Trickbot actors

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

Technology disruptions

A Mansfield native, he spoke about the changes in society and technology from when he lived in Mansfield as a boy, until now. He especially reminded everyone about the importance of “technology disruptions,” which have been a part of American society since the beginning.

Earlier disruptions included the invention of the railroad and the telegraph, the automobile, the telephone and the cellphone. Most recently, society has seen the rapid evolution of cyber tools, in the form of new apps for everything from texting, messaging, and dating, and the increased reliance on password security and encryption.

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

“Before these tools came about, 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 greatest challenges for federal prosecutors like Riedl is that cybercriminals often live in other countries, and often in countries that do not extradite indicted persons to the U.S.

“We can find out who they are and where they live, but so long as they live in a country that is unwilling to extradite, we are limited in how we can prosecute,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean foreign cybercriminals are off the hook. Riedl spoke of at least one occasion when a cybercriminal traveled to the U.S. for a flight layover and was promptly arrested.

Similarly, cybercriminals who travel outside of countries that don’t extradite can find themselves being sent to the U.S. for prosecution.

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

Riedl said businesses and the federal government have long held a “defensive posture” toward cybercrime, which needs to change into an “offensive posture.”

“The way we have approached cybercrime, especially over the last 10-20 years, is from a defensive posture, and in the United States especially, we’ve been relying on U.S. corporations to defend themselves against cyberattacks,” he said. “We need to not only build bigger and better walls, but to also go on the offensive and try to disrupt these criminals.”

What’s next

Helen Patton, cybersecurity advisor at Cisco, will conclude the series on Dec. 4, with the presentation  

 Jason Opal, dean of ������̳ at Mansfield, said the series is part of Ohio’s States land-grant mission to educate and inform the public.

“Besides teaching students and creating knowledge, our job is to engage directly with the problems that the people of Ohio are facing and to provide them with concrete solutions and real support,” he said. “Right now, cyberattacks pose a clear and present risk to almost everyone, so we're going to help people defend themselves, their businesses and their households."

For more information, contact Cindy Wood, director of development and community relations, at 419-755-4113. Angie Cirone can be reached at acirone@richlandareachamber.com or 419-522-3211, ext. 103.