The FBI built its own replica small town to simulate real-world cyberattacks
TechCrunch • • business
Key Points:
- The FBI has unveiled a 22,000 square-foot replica town on its Huntsville, Alabama campus, called the Kinetic Cyber Range, designed to train law enforcement in simulating and investigating real-world cyberattacks.
- The facility includes fully furnished buildings such as houses, a hotel, a gas station, a grocery mart, a courthouse, a hospital, and a power company, all wired with functioning devices to mimic a real U.S. community.
- Since its opening in February 2025, the range has trained over 1,400 students, including FBI personnel and partners from other federal and local agencies, providing hands-on experience with the latest consumer and enterprise technologies.
- The facility features a data center with more than 200 physical servers running different operating systems to replicate corporate environments encountered during cyber investigations.
- The training allows the FBI to simulate ransomware attacks and their consequences, helping investigators practice high-pressure decision-making in scenarios that could impact critical infrastructure and public safety.