- The FBI has built an entire city to help train its agents
- The city contains houses, businesses and 200 hackable servers
- The idea is to give agents practical experience so they are ready for the field
In the never-ending cat-and-mouse game between hackers and law enforcement, it helps the latter know exactly what they’re up against. Usually, that might mean sitting in a classroom and getting some hands-on time 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 went out and built an entire city to stay sharp.
The 22,000 square meter Kinetic Cyber Range is built to be as lifelike as possible. Visit it and you’ll find 11 different facilities, including houses, a data center, an arcade, a convenience store, a hotel, and more. It’s designed to replicate the kind of city you’d find anywhere in America, but it’s all contained within a huge hangar at the FBI’s training campus in Huntsville, Alabama.
All companies and technologies in the ersatz community can be hacked, allowing students to test their skills. Prospective cyber officers will encounter firewalls, email systems, file directories and more that will help prepare them for future digital investigations. That said, the Kinetic Cyber Range is designed to ensure that nothing sinister escapes its safe confines and into the wider world.
In addition to the FBI, the facility can be used by NASA, the US Army and local law enforcement agencies. The idea is to get people up to speed with the latest cyber technologies – including drone software, vehicle tracking and the Internet of Things.
Facing new 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 hands-on time as possible. Theory alone will only provide so much training, and without encountering the kinds of situations you might find in the real world, FBI agents will be one step behind their opponents.
Speaking on the FBI’s YouTube channel, David Beachboard, program manager for the Kinetic Cyber Range, described the training site as “one of a kind” and said that “there’s no facility like this in the world … This is about as real as it’s going to get before people go 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 patient welfare in the midst of a ransomware attack. It is these scenarios that are difficult or impossible to fully replicate in a classroom setting.
According to the FBI, more than 1,400 students have passed through the Kinetic Cyber Range since opening in February 2025, with training continually updated to cover new threats. As threat actors evolve, so must those trying to stop them. No doubt Beachboard and the FBI hope the Kinetic Cyber Range will play a key role in doing just that.
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