Welcome to the Cyber Warfare Range!

When learning, hands-on skills development is essential. Cyber warfare is destructive. We have created Cyber Warfare Ranges where individuals can learn cyber warfare in a resilient environment that is free from traditional information technology norms, rules, and restrictions.

The expertise of our volunteers, and the technologies we have developed, uniquely enable us to operate our Cyber Warfare Ranges safely for everyone involved.

Our purpose is to empower those with a passion for cybersecurity to learn new skills, refine existing skills, and to develop a well-trained workforce versed in the continuous improvement process needed for cybersecurity. This is done through self-paced training, organic mentoring and a real-world, hands-on, experience.

We are not a school. We offer no degrees or certifications. We simply deliver competent cybersecurity warriors and industry professionals. The employers who hire our learners tell us they cannot find cybersecurity professionals of equal quality anywhere else. Our learners are typically in leadership in their organizations with in a year. There is no substitute for competent cyber warriors.

FAQ

Why is it called a “Cyber Warfare Range”?

Every moment of every day across the world, a cyber war is in process. There are those defending assets, and those seeking to penetrate those defenses and gain that information and resources. Just as in traditional warfare, learning to defend against the ‘bad guy’ takes practice and is done in a dedicated and specialized environment.

Individuals learn hands-on skills by attacking or defending “targets”. Targets are individual systems or networks crafted to facilitate or refine specific cybersecurity skills. Using tools, the individuals are able to practice real-world attacks or defenses against humans operating at a similar skill level.

Additionally, cybersecurity professionals practice information security (InfoSec) with games like:

• Red Team versus Blue Team: A Red Team (attackers) attacks an environment that is defended by the Blue Team (defenders). Both teams develop and improve their skills based on real-world human driven activities.
• Capture The Flag: A Red Team (attackers) attacks an environment that is defended by the Blue Team (defenders). The Red Team attempts to uncover system “flags”or plant a “flag” on the Blue Team’s machines, all within a “Range”.
• Incident Response Exercises: A Blue Team is placed into a choose your own adventure story crafted around real-world cybersecurity incidents and is asked to navigate through the crisis. What they experience is based on the decisions they make and the timing of their actions.

As a 24×7×365 live-fire Cyber Warfare Range we provide the community with InfoSec training. Our purpose is to develop a well-trained workforce versed in continuous improvement processes for cyber defense and security. We host hands-on exercises to everyone from beginners to tenured professionals through real-world operations. Each area is designed to meet the needs of the students’​ education level, with the proven results of upward career progression in the real world of cyber defense and InfoSec. Skills are learned in a hands-on, real-world environment. Our participants learn Computer Network Attack (CNA), Computer Network Defense (CND), and Digital Forensics (DFIR).

How much does it cost?

We never charge our learners. We fund our operations through donations, branded swag, industry collaborations, events, and volunteers. We receive no government funding.

What relationships does the Cyber Warfare Range have with government, law enforcement, or the military?

None at any level. Zero. Never have. Never will.

What certifications / validations / credentials do I get from the Cyber Warfare Range?

You do not receive any certifications or degrees from us. The knowledge you obtain with us enables you to easily obtain certifications with entities designed to offer them.

Will the Cyber Warfare Range help me get a job in cybersecurity?

Yes. Many employers know our learners have a much higher level of competency. They find the hands-on skills our learners obtain are invaluable to their organization The National Cyber War Foundation, its official Cyber Warfare Range operators, and its affiliated organizations work to help our volunteers and learners obtain employment in the cybersecurity industry. Most of our learners are in leadership roles at their employer within a year of their start date.

Our community of cyber warriors has strong relationships throughout the cybersecurity world.

Why should cybersecurity vendors place their products and services in one or more of our Cyber Warfare Ranges?

We are not a lab, school, or certification entity. We do provide real-world exposure and obtain statistics on all security systems placed into our range. This information is shared discreetly with the vendor only.

There is no cost to add your technology to our Range for testing. Please note that our supporters will always receive priority treatment at all of our Cyber Warfare Ranges. If you are a student or a hobbyist, your submissions are welcome. Limitations are based on available resources such as human time, server space, data center power, and bandwidth. All serious security vendors are encouraged to submit their technologies to the Cyber Warfare Range for real-world assessments and statistics on performance.

Additionally, the vendor technologies our learners work with at our Cyber Warfare Ranges is often recommended by our learners who are typically in leadership roles at their place of employment. Most of our learners are in leadership at their employer within a year of their starting employment. Competency breeds success.

Does the Cyber Warfare Range offer sponsorships?

Yes. Please contact us for more details. You can also make smaller donations at our Patreon site: https://patreon.com/feedthevolunteers

I want to engage with the Cyber Warfare Range. What next?

We are always looking for opportunities to serve our greater communities. We have a Get Started page to help.

Individuals can make use of our forums to find ways to engage with our organization.

Vendors should contact us with ideas, donations, and events.

Contact us to if you’re looking for conference speakers, corporate training modules, a mobile range on which to host war games, special projects, and other forms of education. Please contact us with your proposal.

What are we allowed to hack?

With the exception of this website, all parties are encouraged to attack our Ranges at your educational level or the commercial products placed on-site, within our real-world Cyber Warfare Ranges.

How and when did the Cyber Warfare Range start?

Our leadership realized that if an independent organization focused exclusively on building cybersecurity competency was not formed, we would be doomed. We received an initial donation of servers, networking equipment, and a place to operate it. We opened the CWR in February of 2012. Our first location (AZ01) is now online only. In August of 2017, we opened new ranges that are available to the public. Feel free to visit any of our ranges. Please note that nobody is paid, we are 100% volunteers. Please take a look at the respective calendars to see what times would be appropriate for a visit.

Happy Hacking!