FBI reveals 22,000-square-foot fake town used to train agents for cyber...

FBI reveals 22,000-square-foot fake town used to train agents for cyber warfare

The FBI has revealed a 22,000-square-foot fake town it uses for cyber war training . The indoor facility features realistic real-world buildings, including a grocery store, hotel, courthouse and gas station. There are also fully furnished homes, a power company, a video games arcade and a data center running 200 servers. The FBI has revealed a 22,000 sq ft fake town it uses for cyber war training in Huntsville, Alabama. FBI / SWNS The FBI’s Kinetic Cyber Range features realistic real-world buildings, including a hotel and stores. FBI / SWNS The FBI says the “technical training environment” is designed to prepare agents, analysts and forensic specialists for investigations that increasingly involve digital evidence . Each space is wired with functioning systems, networks and devices designed to behave as they would in the real world. Since opening last year, the facility has trained more than 1,400 students, including FBI personnel and partners from other agencies. The FBI says the training site prepares agents and analysts for cases involving digital evidence. FBI / SWNS The indoor facility also has a grocery store with shelves stocked to simulate a real-world environment. FBI / SWNS Inside the FBI training complex, the grocery store includes a deli counter and refrigerated beverages. FBI / SWNS The FBI said on Wednesday: “The FBI’s Kinetic Cyber Range in Huntsville, Alabama, resembles a small town with everything a small town has. “But despite its size, it plays a massive role in preparing the next generation of cyber investigators for real-world situations and the real obstacles they will face in the field.” A training exercise in April saw students dealing with a simulated ransomware attack, locking down a hospital network. There are also fully furnished homes inside the FBI’s Kinetic Cyber Range. FBI / SWNS A courthouse is set up to simulate realistic legal proceedings. FBI / SWNS The exterior of the FBI’s Kinetic Cyber Range in Huntsville, Alabama. FBI / SWNS They also practiced extracting a car’s electronic control unit — the car’s digital brain — that could help reconstruct where a vehicle has been, how it was used and who may have been behind the wheel. Dave Beachboard, who manages the FBI’s Kinetic Cyber Range, said: “This is about as real as it’s going to get before people go out in the field. “We try to keep the scenarios as real as possible. Everything’s based off of past case studies.”