Field guide · Definition
What is a cyber range?
A cyber range is a controlled, isolated environment where security teams practise detecting and responding to simulated attacks on realistic networks and tools. Ranges are used for team live-fire exercises, individual labs and tool validation. Cloud ranges from vendors such as Cyberbit and Immersive Labs have replaced much of the on-premises hardware ranges once required.
Editorial assessment · Assessed from vendor sites, product pages and published pricing, September 2026
9-1What happens in a cyber range exercise?
The range hosts a simulated network: endpoints, servers, users and security tooling. An attack is launched, scripted or run by a red team, and defenders use the tools to detect, investigate and contain it. The exercise records what they saw, what they did and how long it took.
9-2What types of range are there?
- Hosted cloud range: the vendor runs the environment and the tools. Cyberbit Readiness is an example.
- Range on your own stack: attacks run against your production-like tooling. Immersive Labs describes Dynamic Threat Range as a live-fire attack on your own stack using tools such as Microsoft Sentinel, Elastic, Splunk and CrowdStrike.
- Lab environments: smaller, single-player environments for learning one technique, such as those from Hack The Box and TryHackMe.
9-3What should a CISO look for in a cyber range?
- Tools that match yours, or the ability to use yours.
- Team exercises, not only solo labs.
- Scenarios based on current attacker behaviour.
- Telemetry you can show: detection and response times per exercise.
- A way to bring decision-makers in when the technical incident becomes a business one.
9-4Which platforms offer a cyber range?
In this guide, Cyberbit (100+ team exercises and 2,800+ solo labs) and Immersive Labs (Dynamic Threat Range) offer live-fire range exercises. Hack The Box and TryHackMe offer lab environments and simulators rather than a team range on customer tools. Reflex Security, iluminr and Conducttr do not offer ranges.
Sources: cyberbit.com, immersivelabs.com/solutions/cybersecurity-technical-exercises, hackthebox.com/business, tryhackme.com/business · Reviewed Sep 2026
9-5Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a cyber range and a lab?
A lab is usually a small environment for one learner and one technique. A range simulates an organization's environment so a team can defend it together.
What is a live-fire exercise?
An exercise in which defenders respond to a real attack running in the range, rather than discussing a hypothetical one.
Next lesson: Discussion-based vs operations-based exercises: which one to run