A Comparative Analysis of Open-Source Cyber Ranges for Cyber-security Education
Emil Johannes Lundqvist, Pilleriin Lillemets, Nicola Dragoni · Procedia Computer Science · 2025
The Sixth Information Revolution is characterised by ubiquitous data flows and algorithmic decision-making that demand high levels of digital literacy across every level of society. Cyber ranges—instrumented, sandboxed replicas of networks—offer experiential learning environments that translate abstract security concepts into actionable competence. This paper presents a comparative study of thirteen open-source cyber ranges, highlighting their capabilities, limitations and deployment practicality for cybersecurity education. Each range is evaluated against criteria such as scalability, user-management support, documentation quality, ease of deployment, training functionality and adherence to open-source principles. A structured comparison matrix and a decision model assist instructors and developers in selecting platforms that best match their pedagogical and organisational constraints. The analysis shows that, although open-source cyber ranges vary widely in maturity and usability, they can be highly effective educational tools when deployed in suitable contexts. Future work should include a systematic comparison with commercial solutions and the creation of publicly accessible test environments for hands-on evaluation.