IT training and simulation platform to enhance resilience and increase cyber security

Security is not just a technology issue – it encompasses processes, usability, operational skills and understanding system complexity. Together with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology has established a Cyber Range training centre to share AIT´s extensive knowledge and to train and raise all stakeholders from industry, science and the public sector to a common level of knowledge.

A cyber range is a virtual environment for the flexible simulation of large and complex networks with different system components, networks and users. It offers a safe and realistic environment to test, investigate and analyse incidents in various, scalable scenarios without using the actual production systems. With its flexible architecture, a cyber range can be used for diverse applications such as training, evaluation of incident response processes, and software testing. This allows researchers and stakeholders from industry and government to work together within realistic environments on the design, implementation and validation of methods, technologies and processes for establishing an increased level of defence against cyber attacks.

AIT's Cyber Range supports cyber security training courses, cyber security exercises, testing of contingency plans or incident response processes to enhance the resilience and increase cyber security capabilities of organisations. The Cyber Range IT training and simulation platform is used to share a comprehensively necessary knowledge in the cyber security sector with different actors such as industry, critical infrastructure providers, research and the public sector.

• flexible simulation of critical digital IT systems with different system components and user structures
• flexible architecture for a variety of applications in a variety of configurations
• secure and realistic environment for analysing and testing incidents in different, scalable scenarios without the use of the genuine production systems of stakeholders
• enables testing and validating security measures and verifying the resilience of different IT architectures
• trains different security processes and specific incident response processes for cyber incidents in realistic application scenarios
• supports security by design approaches for real world IT deployments and ensures consistent IT operations for highest cyber security resilience