The FBI has constructed a full-scale fake town in Huntsville, Alabama to train agents on defending against cyberattacks. The Cyber Range spans 22,000 square feet and includes replicas of civilian infrastructure: a convenience store, gas station, hospital, and residential homes. All systems operate with real networks, servers, and software.

The facility serves as a hands-on training ground where FBI personnel and law enforcement partners can practice detecting and responding to intrusions across interconnected systems. Agents experience realistic attack scenarios without risking actual critical infrastructure. The setup mirrors Hogan's Alley, the FBI's famous firearms and tactics training compound in Quantico, Virginia, but targets the digital domain instead.

This approach addresses a genuine gap in cybersecurity training. Most exercises happen in isolated labs where attackers and defenders work separately. The Cyber Range forces integration. An agent might detect unusual activity at the simulated hospital while another responds to network traffic anomalies at the gas station. The scenarios test coordination between departments and real decision-making under pressure.

The facility reflects growing recognition that cyber threats span physical and digital boundaries. A ransomware attack on a hospital affects patient care. Compromise of a power grid impacts multiple sectors. The town setup forces trainees to think about cascading failures and interdependencies that classroom exercises miss.

The investment signals the FBI's pivot toward sophisticated threat preparation. Rather than reactive incident response, agents train proactively on emerging attack vectors. They can test defenses against zero-day exploits, supply chain compromise, and multi-vector assaults in a controlled environment where failure costs nothing.

The Cyber Range also supports partnerships. State and local law enforcement, utility companies, and critical infrastructure operators can conduct joint exercises. This builds relationships and shared protocols before real incidents occur.

The project's scale suggests the FBI views cyber readiness as equivalent to physical security preparedness. Building