FBI constructs cyber range to rehearse digital warfare amid systemic vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure
Original framing: “The FBI built a small town to simulate cyberattacks” — The Verge
The Cyber Range models a dystopian future where cyber warfare is normalized as a permanent state of exception, justifying perpetual state surveillance. Scenario planning suggests that such simulations could escalate arms races in cyber capabilities, with private firms and states locked in a feedback loop of escalation. Alternative futures might prioritize open-source resilience, decentralized networks, and community-driven cyber hygiene over state-controlled ranges.
The FBI’s Cyber Range in Huntsville is not merely a training ground but a microcosm of the militarization of cybersecurity, echoing Cold War-era civil defense simulations where mock towns prepared populations for nuclear annihilation.
This model reflects a state-centric security paradigm that prioritizes control over collaboration, obscuring the role of privatized critical infrastructure in creating systemic vulnerabilities. Marginalized communities—from Global South targets of cyber warfare to labor organizers in tech—are systematically excluded from shaping these solutions, despite bearing the brunt of digital insecurity. Indigenous and cross-cultural frameworks, such as Ubuntu or Māori kaitiakitanga, offer radical alternatives that frame cyber resilience as communal stewardship rather than adversarial domination. The path forward requires dismantling the illusion of state-led security theater, replacing it with decentralized, culturally grounded models that prioritize transparency, equity, and collective well-being over perpetual surveillance and escalation.