FBI gives first peek inside 22,000-square-foot town it’s built for digital crime training — the ‘one of a kind’ facility has a gas station, houses, and a data center with 200 hackable servers | Tech Radar
Overview
News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Details
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
FBI gives first peek inside 22,000-square-foot town it’s built for digital crime training — the ‘one of a kind’ facility has a gas station, houses, and a data center with 200 hackable servers
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
The FBI has built an entire town to help train its agents
The town contains houses, businesses, and 200 hackable servers
The idea is to give agents hands-on experience so they’re ready for the field
In the never-ending cat-and-mouse game between hackers and law enforcement, it helps the latter to know exactly what they’re up against. Usually, that might mean sitting in a classroom and getting a little 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’s Federal Bureau of Investigation went out and built a whole town to keep itself sharp.
The 22,000-square-foot Kinetic Cyber Range is built to be as lifelike as possible. Pay it a visit, and you’ll find 11 different facilities, including houses, a data center, a gaming arcade, a convenience store, a hotel, and much more. It’s designed to replicate the kind of town you might find anywhere in America, yet it’s all contained within an enormous hangar at the FBI’s training campus in Huntsville, Alabama.
All the businesses and tech in the ersatz community can be hacked, allowing students to put their skills to the test. Would-be cyber officers will encounter firewalls, email systems, file directories, and more, helping to prepare them for future digital investigations. That said, the Kinetic Cyber Range is designed to ensure that nothing nefarious spills out of its secure bounds 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 techs — including drone software, vehicle forensics, and the internet of things.
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 education, and without encountering the kinds of situations you might find in the real world, FBI agents will be a step behind their adversaries.
FBI slams cybercriminals for attacking schools, hospitals, as crypto fraud soars
We need a cybersecurity curriculum taught by hackers
Hackers are turning up to victim's work dressed as IT support to install malware in-person, FBI warns
Speaking on the FBI’s You Tube channel, David Beachboard, Program Manager of the Kinetic Cyber Range, described the training location as “one of a kind” and said that “there is no facility like this in the world … This is about as real as it’s going to get before people go out in the field.”
Interestingly, students at the center will also be involved in various roleplay exercises that mimic those they’ll encounter outside the facility, from conducting interviews with business executives whose premises are being searched to dealing with medical staff who are concerned for patient welfare in the middle of a ransomware attack. It’s these scenarios that are difficult or impossible to fully replicate inside a classroom.
According to the FBI, more than 1,400 students have passed through the Kinetic Cyber Range since its opening in February 2025, with the training being regularly updated to cover emerging threats. As threat actors evolve, so too must those attempting to stop them. No doubt Beachboard and the FBI hope the Kinetic Cyber Range will play a key role in doing just that.
Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.
➡️ Read our full guide to the best laptops
- Best overall: Apple Mac Book Air 13-inch M5
- Best budget: Apple Mac Book Neo
- Best Windows 11 laptop Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch
- Best thin and light: Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i
- Best Ultrabook Asus Zenbook S 16
Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as Tech Radar, Alex writes for i More, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at Mac Format magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
1 One Odio Studio Max 2 review: DJ headphones without the wire
2 New report finds huge surge in cyberattacks targeting professional sports organizations
3 Judge kicks lawyers off cases are finding out both were using AI to argue
4 Xiaomi's robotic charging arm plans to make EV battery top-ups easier
5 Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, June 16 (game #1604)
Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.
Key Takeaways
- News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
- Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
- Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
- Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
- Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards
