# Cyber Ranges and TestBeds for Education, Training, and Research
###### Abstract  
In recent years, there has been a growing demand for cybersecurity experts, and, according to predictions, this demand will continue to increase. Cyber Ranges can fill this gap by combining hands-on experience with educational courses, and conducting cybersecurity competitions. In this paper, we conduct a systematic survey of ten Cyber Ranges that were developed in the last decade, with a structured interview. The purpose of the interview is to find details about essential components, and especially the tools used to design, create, implement and operate a Cyber Range platform, and to present the findings. testbeds; cyber ranges; cyber exercises; education; training; research +
Footnote †: journal: Medical  
dividuals to react in different, unpredictable situations in a collective and collaborative way. This environment should blend simulations and emulations of real components and systems, embedding different attack and defense mechanisms [9] and must be able to adapt to a variety of different incidents, in order to be cost-effective and attractive for organizations and educational institutes. Experiential learning is an educational technique that proposes the active involvement of the participants in order to help them learn through experience--an efficient method for delivering experiencing learning exercises as part of serious games. Cyber ranges are exercising environments that contain both physical and virtual components and can be used to represent realistic scenarios for training [10]. In recent years, cyber ranges have been offering additional features/capabilities from a simple simulation environment. [PERSON] [11] proposed that efficiency may be achieved by harnessing operating system container technology. Carnegie Mellon University [12] has developed by SEI open-source software tools to create secure and realistic cyber simulations. These tools recreate the real world and make training exercises more realistic. In this article, we present the current state of the art on testbeds and cyber ranges that are used for training and research purposes. A systematic review of the literature on cyber range systems was carried out and the study revealed that there is a variety of implementations with different approaches that have been developed in different environments, using real, virtual, or hybrid equipment. Moreover, in order to better understand what the important components of a modern cyber range (CR) are, we conducted structured interviews with technical directors that have developed and used recently cyber ranges and present the findings. The contributions of the article are:  
* It presents the current state of the art on testbeds and cyber ranges. * It presents the findings of a set of structured interviews with organizations that have a testbed and cyber range. * It discusses the findings and gives insights of modern cyber ranges. The findings of the research will be a guide for the effort to design, develop and implementation of a Cyber Range platform for the University of West Attica (UNIWA) but can also be a guide for other cyber ranges that are under development. UNIWA was founded in March 2018, from the merging process of two Technological Institutes. It operates with high educational and research standards and strives to respond to the ever-increasing demands of modern society for the creation of executives that have attained a solid scientific and technological background. UNIWA is the third-largest in Greece in terms of student numbers, approximately 52,000 undergraduates, 1150 postgraduates, and 210 doctoral students. The aim of a modern cyber range should be to enhance courses with hands-on experience of participants. In addition, it will enhance the research goals of the university through using a more complex and realistic environment than it currently has. UNIWA has a cybersecurity team (INSSec) with active participation in national and international cybersecurity exercises over the last decade as well as CTF competitions such as UniCTF 2019 and UniCTF 2020.