Program manager highlights hands-on training at Kinetic Cyber Range in Huntsville

Dave Beachboard, program manager of the Kinetic Cyber Range, gave a tour-style overview of the 22,000-square-foot indoor training facility in Huntsville, Alabama, saying it includes simulated environments such as a courthouse, hotel, gas station and fully furnished houses as well as a data center, arcade and business center.

"The range opened in February last year," Beachboard said, and "we've had almost 1,400 students train in this facility," a usage figure he cited to describe early adoption.

Beachboard said the facility "is not just for FBI. It's also for all of our partners," and listed organizations that have trained there, naming NASA, the U.S. Army and several local law enforcement agencies.

He described a shift in training method: where instruction in the past was largely classroom-based and theoretical, the range lets students "go in and interact with all these unique systems they're going to find in the field," handling devices and equipment they would encounter during real investigations.

"When we're training digital forensics, we want students to go in and interact with all these unique systems they're going to find in the field," Beachboard said, emphasizing hands-on processing of cell phones, loose media and servers.

Beachboard called the site "a one of a kind facility. There is no facility like this in the world," and said students are encountering the latest software, IoT devices, drones and vehicle forensics to keep instruction current.

Beachboard said the range will continue hosting interagency training and partner exercises, reinforcing hands-on readiness for personnel who will carry out digital forensics and cybersecurity operations.