The FBI built a 22,000-square-foot replica town in Huntsville, Alabama, called the Kinetic Cyber Range, to simulate cyberattacks for training and research, with isolated systems to prevent malware escape.
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<img alt="A fake hotel and power company inside the FBI’s Kinetic Cyber Range training facility." data-caption="There’s also a fake power company to jack up prices thanks to the fake data center. | Image: FBI" data-portal-copyright="Image: FBI" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/high.webp?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" />
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There’s also a fake power company to jack up prices thanks to the fake data center. | Image: FBI </figcaption>
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<p class="has-text-align-none">Last year, the FBI opened a <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/inside-the-fbis-kinetic-cyber-range">Cyber Range</a> in Huntsville, Alabama, for simulating cyberattacks. Think of it sort of like the famous <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-investigate/hogans-alley">Hogan's Alley</a>, but for modern digital crime training. It's a massive 22,000 square-foot replica of an entire town, complete with a convenience store, gas station, hospital, and even fully furnished houses.</p>
<p class="has-text-align-none">It's a training facility where the bureau can recreate real-world scenarios for training and research purposes. All of the various buildings and facilities are hooked up the way they would be in a real town. There's even a small data center with over 200 servers that can be hacked, infected with malware, and stu …</p>
<p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/949648/fbi-fake-town-cyberattacks-kinetic-cyber-range">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>
# The FBI built a small town to simulate cyberattacks
Source: [https://www.theverge.com/tech/949648/fbi-fake-town-cyberattacks-kinetic-cyber-range](https://www.theverge.com/tech/949648/fbi-fake-town-cyberattacks-kinetic-cyber-range)
[](https://www.theverge.com/authors/terrence-obrien)
Terrence O'Brien
is the Verge’s weekend editor\. He has over 18 years of experience, including 10 years as managing editor at Engadget\.
Last year, the FBI opened a[Cyber Range](https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/inside-the-fbis-kinetic-cyber-range)in Huntsville, Alabama, for simulating cyberattacks\. Think of it sort of like the famous[Hogan’s Alley](https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-investigate/hogans-alley), but for modern digital crime training\. It’s a massive 22,000 square\-foot replica of an entire town, complete with a convenience store, gas station, hospital, and even fully furnished houses\.
It’s a training facility where the bureau can recreate real\-world scenarios for training and research purposes\. All of the various buildings and facilities are hooked up the way they would be in a real town\. There’s even a small data center with over 200 servers that can be hacked, infected with malware, and studied\. But, importantly, all of the systems in the fake town are cut off from the outside world, which means there’s no danger of any malicious code or anything from escaping containment\.
Students practice performing forensic investigations on car entertainment systems, hospital computer networks, and corporate security systems\. They can see how various cyberattacks might affect power grids or spread through home networks\.
While the facility opened last year, the FBI only shared a[video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8UMAc_8L5c)this week, giving the public its first glimpse inside\.
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- Terrence O'Brien
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