There are few industries where ‘learn by doing’ is quite as important as cybersecurity. When you’re faced with the prospect of a ransomware-infested network or an ongoing data breach, knowledge from textbooks and slide decks will only get you so far. You need an opportunity to put those skills to the test under pressure.
You need a cyber range.
Originally developed by (and for) the public sector, cyber ranges are simulated IT environments that can be used for cyber resilience training, cybersecurity training, and sandboxed software development. They typically consist of a learning management system with an integrated virtual lab, with most modern cyber ranges having enough sophistication to virtualize entire ecosystems and can typically be delivered entirely via the cloud.
The Benefits of Using a Virtual Cyber Range
The most significant advantage of virtual cyber range solutions is that they give security teams the opportunity to simulate real-world cyber threats without putting any of their organization’s actual systems at risk. This allows them to gain firsthand experience with how prevailing threats, techniques, and procedures might impact their ecosystem. Other benefits of cyber range training include:
- Considerably more cost-effective than physical IT labs and with a greater capacity to scale.
- Support for continuous learning and skill development.
- The capacity to provide real-time feedback to participants as they continue to learn.
- An easily accessible sandbox that supports continuous learning and development.
- Flexible and simple to maintain and keep up-to-date.
- Easy to configure and deploy.
Top Cyber Range Solutions to Consider
Below, we’ve listed a few of the top cyber range providers for various industries and needs — including our own powerful virtual labs.
CloudShare
If you’re looking for an affordable and intuitive cloud-based virtual training lab, look no further than CloudShare. The platform lets you spin up sophisticated, fully customized virtual environments in minutes for everything from simulated attack scenarios to hands-on training sessions. It’s an excellent replacement for costly on-premise cybersecurity labs and an excellent option for any business that already has access to security expertise.
Infosec Skills
Maintained by the Infosec Institute, Infosec Skills is less a dedicated cyber range than it is a vast collection of training courses and scenarios. The organization offers hundreds of hands-on labs and learning paths mapped to industry standards, with more added each month. The Infosec Skills on-demand library also includes certification courses for several leading cybersecurity standards.
RangeForce
The core idea behind RangeForce is simple: security teams learn best by making mistakes, and real-world attack simulations reinforce their skills.
The organization delivers cyber range training via a powerful, cloud-based platform designed for easy administration. This includes everything from self-paced labs and sandboxes to more comprehensive team-based simulations. RangeForce also positions itself as a valuable tool for upskilling, which, the company notes, cybersecurity professionals often lack the time and energy to achieve on their own.
Cyberbit
As one of the world’s top cyber range providers, Cyberbit is trusted by some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Sirius, Deloitte, and Fresenius.
Through a virtual security operations center, it can create hyper-realistic simulations, drawing from a massive catalog of on-demand attacks. The platform’s most notable feature, however, is its Crisis Simulator.
This offering combines Cyberbit’s virtual simulation with real-world exercises that leverage AI-generated media, crisis coaches, and real-world interviews to simulate an entire cyber incident, up to and including media, public relations, and crisis communication.
CYRIN
CYRIN‘s biggest claim to fame as a cyber range solution is that it’s trusted by military personnel and first responders.
The web-based training platform is designed first and foremost for ease of use, delivering realistic simulated attacks alongside more traditional training, all with comprehensive student monitoring functionality. Through CYRIN’s Exercise Builder module, organizations can effortlessly spin up labs and exercises around their unique needs.
CYRIN also integrates readily with other cyber range solutions.
IBM X-Force Command Cyber Tactical Operations Center (C-TOC)
Hosted and maintained by IBM, the X-Force Command Cyber Tactical Operations Center (or C-TOC for short) originally branded itself as the first cyber experience-on-wheels, an extension of the company’s renowned X-Force Command Cyber Range. Today, it operates in more of a cyber-range-as-a-service capacity, albeit one supported by some of the best cybersecurity experts in the world.
Cloud Range
Cloud Range provides a comprehensive, fully customizable cloud-based security training environment with thousands of pre-built attack scenarios, a ton of fully integrated toolsets, and customized learning paths. Originally marketed primarily toward advanced security teams, the platform now provides both full-service and self-service options. The company’s services are primarily geared toward enterprise security teams, managed security service providers and security professionals working in higher education or with critical infrastructure.
Staying Ahead of Emerging Threats
To call the current threat landscape intimidating would be putting it lightly. Malicious actors are more numerous and sophisticated than ever before.
Add to that the current AI arms race taking place between criminals and security professionals, and things are likely to get a great deal worse before they get better.
Keeping pace with this fast-evolving landscape requires a comprehensive training program — one that’s flexible, versatile, and easy to keep up-to-date. This means providing cybersecurity professionals and employees with hands-on experience. After all, there’s only so much you can learn in a classroom.
Virtual cyber ranges allow your people to do exactly that at no risk to your existing infrastructure. Better yet, they equip your team with a sandboxed environment where they can test everything from new solutions to vulnerabilities in existing software.
Whether you need to stress-test your incident response plan, improve collaboration for your security team, onboard new security professionals, or provide existing practitioners with upskill opportunities, a cyber range is the way to go.
Wondering what to read next? Check out why Cybersecurity Simulation Software is Crucial for Protecting Your Business, then learn more about the basics of Cyber Resilience.
*Blog updated in March 2025
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