- The FBI built an entire city to train its agents
- The town contains houses, businesses and 200 hackable servers
- The idea is to give officers hands-on experience so they are ready for the field.
In the endless cat-and-mouse game between hackers and law enforcement, this helps the latter know exactly what they’re up against. Usually, this might mean sitting in a classroom and getting a little familiar with a hacked server or laptop. But that’s not the case with the FBI’s Kinetic Cyber Range – no, this time the US Federal Bureau of Investigation has built an entire city to stay vigilant.
The 22,000 square foot Kinetic Cyber range is designed to be as realistic as possible. Visit it and you’ll discover 11 different facilities, including houses, a data center, a game room, a convenience store, a hotel and much more. It’s designed to replicate the kind of town you might find anywhere in America, but it’s all contained in a massive hangar on the FBI’s training campus in Huntsville, Alabama.
All companies and technologies in the ersatz community can be hacked, allowing students to put their skills to the test. Potential cyber agents will encounter firewalls, email systems, file directories, and more, helping them prepare for future digital investigations. That said, the Kinetic Cyber range is designed to ensure nothing nefarious spreads outside its secure confines and out into the world.
In addition to the FBI, the facility can be used by NASA, the U.S. military and local law enforcement. The idea is to familiarize people with the latest cyber technologies, including drone software, vehicle forensics and the Internet of Things.
Facing Emerging Threats
Given how incredibly lucrative the cybercrime industry is for hackers and fraudsters, it makes sense for law enforcement to seek as much real-world field time as possible. Theory alone will only provide a certain amount of education, and without encountering the kinds of situations you might encounter in the real world, FBI agents will be one step behind their adversaries.
Speaking on the FBI’s YouTube channel, Kinetic Cyber Range program manager David Beachboard described the training location as “one of a kind” and said that “there’s no facility like this in the world… This is about as real as it can get before people go out into the field.”
Interestingly, students at the center will also be involved in various role-playing exercises that mimic those they will encounter outside the facility, from conducting interviews with business executives whose premises are raided to dealing with medical staff concerned about the well-being of patients in the midst of a ransomware attack. These are the scenarios that are difficult, if not impossible, to fully replicate in a classroom.
According to the FBI, more than 1,400 students have completed the Kinetic Cyber Range since it opened in February 2025, with training regularly updated to cover emerging threats. As threat actors evolve, those trying to stop them must evolve as well. There is no doubt that Beachboard and the FBI hope that the Kinetic Cyber Range will play a key role in this.
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