via TechCrunch
FBI Builds a Replica Small Town to Simulate Real-World Cyberattacks
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has unveiled a 22,000-square-foot replica town on its campus in Huntsville, Alabama, built to train law enforcement personnel in simulating and investigating real-world cyberattacks. Designed to provide hands-on experience beyond the classroom, the facility immerses investigators in a secure environment equipped with the latest consumer and enterprise technologies—many of which are frequently targeted by malicious hackers.
To understand the urgency behind this initiative, consider the numbers: the FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report, drawing from over one million complaints, logged a record $20.9 billion in U.S. cybercrime losses—a 26% increase over the prior year. Ransomware remains the top ongoing threat to critical infrastructure.
Dubbed the Kinetic Cyber Range, the facility opened in February 2025 and features fully furnished houses, a hotel, a gas station, a grocery store, a courthouse, a hospital, and a power company—complete with roads and traffic lights—all designed to mimic a real U.S. community. Since its opening, the agency reports that the range has trained more than 1,400 students, including FBI personnel and partners from other federal and local agencies.
Each part of the town is wired with functioning devices and systems that behave as they would in a real community or business, while ensuring that simulated attacks remain securely contained within the facility. This approach allows trainees to practice incident response and forensic investigation in a realistic, controlled setting, preparing them for the escalating threats of the digital age.