Introducing Cyber Range - Cybersecurity Training Ground of Tomorrow The twenty-first century has us moving to a digitally interconnected world. Our dependency on technology is increasing exponentially with time and we are surrounded with interconnected devices like automated driverless cars, smart cities, smart lighting, and smart power generation etc. This change is resulting in every end point we consume being represented by an IP (internet Protocol) address. The rapid transition to a digitally interconnected world and the proliferation of interconnected devices have brought us into an era of exponential growth in technology dependence and the surge in data flow. Whereas these factors have undoubtedly opened up vast opportunities for commercial businesses, they have also paved the way for a concerning increase in cyberattacks as more and more endpoint devices become exposed to potential threats. In light of this challenge, the demand for highly trained cybersecurity professionals has never been greater. To prepare for this escalating cybersecurity challenge, organizations are increasingly turning to cyber ranges, which provide a dynamic and hands-on training environment for cybersecurity experts. These cyber ranges are crucial in honing the skills of professionals to defend against the growing wave of cyber threats in this interconnected digital landscape, ensuring that our technology-driven world remains secure and resilient. In order to delve deeper into any concept, it is very important to understand its basics. In this blog, you will get a clear understanding of the concept of a cyber range through its various definitions.There are a number of definitions available of a cyber range. According to a document published by The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): “Cyber ranges are interactive, simulated representations of an organization’s local network, system, tools, and applications that are connected to a simulated Internet level environment. They provide a safe, legal environment to gain hands-on cyber skills and a secure environment for product development and security posture testing. A cyber range may include actual hardware and software or may be a combination of actual and virtual components. Ranges may be interoperable with other cyber range environments. The Internet level piece of the range environment includes not only simulated traffic, but also replicates network services such as webpages, browsers, and email as needed by the customer.” According to the European Cyber Security Organization (‘ECSO’), “A Cyber Range is a platform for the development, delivery and use of interactive simulation environments. A simulation environment is a representation of an organisation’s ICT, OT, mobile and physical systems, applications and infrastructures, including the simulation of attacks, users and their activities and of any other Internet, public or third-party services which the simulated environment may depend upon. A cyber range includes a combination of core technologies for the realisation and use of the simulation environment and of additional components which are, in turn, desirable or required for achieving specific cyber range use cases.” But simply put, a cyber range is a virtual environment that is used for the training of cybersecurity professionals, simulation of real-time environments, and the development of cyber technology. Understanding the Need for Cyber Ranges In June 2011, BBC published a news item, “"US builds net for cyber war games"”, which articulated that “Several organisations, including the defence company Lockheed Martin, are working on prototypes of the "virtual firing range". The system will allow researchers to simulate attacks by foreign powers and from hackers based inside the U.S. More than $500m (£309m) has been allocated by the Department of Defense to develop "cyber technologies". According to a guide capturing the essence of a cyber range, created by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cyber Range Project Team, “Cybersecurity is a twenty-first century challenge requiring a twenty-first century workforce. The current cybersecurity workforce lacks sufficient professionals with the skills, training and credentials to meet this cutting-edge challenge. Market studies predict that this talent and skills gap will continue to widen among current and prospective cyber professionals over the coming years. This cybersecurity workforce gap presents tremendous risk to business, government and society. A key tool and platform for reducing the skills gap and securing society is the cyber range.” In 2019, it was reported that leading global security and aerospace company, Lockheed Martin “will support the U.S. military National Cyber Range (NCR) to conduct realistic cyber security test and evaluation of major military programs under terms of a $93 million contract.” Why Do Organizations Prefer Cyber Ranges? Cyber ranges are virtual, controlled environments where organizations can create their own operational conditions for practising defense against possible attacks. Cyber ranges are used by organizations to simulate different use cases to see its possible performance in a real-time environment. Cyber ranges are created to be isolated, enabling security engineers, researchers, and security practitioners to use them to practice their skill set with new technologies and learn their nuances. Cyber ranges help organizations create a strong robust systems and networks resulting in lower failures. Cyber ranges offer a cost-effective alternative to the expensive hardware and software traditionally used to establish near-live training environments for their IT and security professionals. Before we go deeper into cyber ranges, let us have a quick understanding of how cyber boundaries have moved beyond the physical boundaries over the last few decades.

The twenty-first century has us moving to a digitally interconnected world. Our dependency on technology is increasing exponentially with time and we are surrounded with interconnected devices like automated driverless cars, smart cities, smart lighting, and smart power generation etc. This change is resulting in every end point we consume being represented by an IP (internet Protocol) address. The rapid transition to a digitally interconnected world and the proliferation of interconnected devices have brought us into an era of exponential growth in technology dependence and the surge in data flow. Whereas these factors have undoubtedly opened up vast opportunities for commercial businesses, they have also paved the way for a concerning increase in cyberattacks as more and more endpoint devices become exposed to potential threats. In light of this challenge, the demand for highly trained cybersecurity professionals has never been greater. To prepare for this escalating cybersecurity challenge, organizations are increasingly turning to cyber ranges, which provide a dynamic and hands-on training environment for cybersecurity experts. These cyber ranges are crucial in honing the skills of professionals to defend against the growing wave of cyber threats in this interconnected digital landscape, ensuring that our technology-driven world remains secure and resilient. In order to delve deeper into any concept, it is very important to understand its basics. In this blog, you will get a clear understanding of the concept of a cyber range through its various definitions.There are a number of definitions available of a cyber range.

According to a document published by The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): “Cyber ranges are interactive, simulated representations of an organization’s local network, system, tools, and applications that are connected to a simulated Internet level environment. They provide a safe, legal environment to gain hands-on cyber skills and a secure environment for product development and security posture testing. A cyber range may include actual hardware and software or may be a combination of actual and virtual components. Ranges may be interoperable with other cyber range environments. The Internet level piece of the range environment includes not only simulated traffic, but also replicates network services such as webpages, browsers, and email as needed by the customer.” According to the European Cyber Security Organization (‘ECSO’), “A Cyber Range is a platform for the development, delivery and use of interactive simulation environments. A simulation environment is a representation of an organisation’s ICT, OT, mobile and physical systems, applications and infrastructures, including the simulation of attacks, users and their activities and of any other Internet, public or third-party services which the simulated environment may depend upon. A cyber range includes a combination of core technologies for the realisation and use of the simulation environment and of additional components which are, in turn, desirable or required for achieving specific cyber range use cases.” But simply put, a cyber range is a virtual environment that is used for the training of cybersecurity professionals, simulation of real-time environments, and the development of cyber technology.

Understanding the Need for Cyber Ranges

In June 2011, BBC published a news item, “"US builds net for cyber war games"”, which articulated that “Several organisations, including the defence company Lockheed Martin, are working on prototypes of the "virtual firing range". The system will allow researchers to simulate attacks by foreign powers and from hackers based inside the U.S. More than $500m (£309m) has been allocated by the Department of Defense to develop "cyber technologies". According to a guide capturing the essence of a cyber range, created by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cyber Range Project Team, “Cybersecurity is a twenty-first century challenge requiring a twenty-first century workforce. The current cybersecurity workforce lacks sufficient professionals with the skills, training and credentials to meet this cutting-edge challenge. Market studies predict that this talent and skills gap will continue to widen among current and prospective cyber professionals over the coming years. This cybersecurity workforce gap presents tremendous risk to business, government and society. A key tool and platform for reducing the skills gap and securing society is the cyber range.” In 2019, it was reported that leading global security and aerospace company, Lockheed Martin “will support the U.S. military National Cyber Range (NCR) to conduct realistic cyber security test and evaluation of major military programs under terms of a $93 million contract.”

Why Do Organizations Prefer Cyber Ranges?

• Cyber ranges are virtual, controlled environments where organizations can create their own operational conditions for practising defense against possible attacks.
• Cyber ranges are used by organizations to simulate different use cases to see its possible performance in a real-time environment.
• Cyber ranges are created to be isolated, enabling security engineers, researchers, and security practitioners to use them to practice their skill set with new technologies and learn their nuances.
• Cyber ranges help organizations create a strong robust systems and networks resulting in lower failures.
• Cyber ranges offer a cost-effective alternative to the expensive hardware and software traditionally used to establish near-live training environments for their IT and security professionals.

Before we go deeper into cyber ranges, let us have a quick understanding of how cyber boundaries have moved beyond the physical boundaries over the last few decades.

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