Cyber Range challenges are integrated directly into the AP Cybersecurity Course lessons. Within the activity on CodeHS, teachers and students can click Launch in Cyber Range to open the challenge in a new tab.

In addition to the challenges included in the AP Cybersecurity course, the Cyber Range offers 50+ additional challenges. Teachers and students can access these by following the steps below:

Each Cyber Range challenge is a Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge, a hands-on cybersecurity exercise where students solve realistic problems to uncover a hidden flag. The flag is a secret string that proves they successfully completed the challenge.

Early in the AP Cybersecurity course, students will encounter Simulation Cyber Range challenges before they begin learning Linux. Simulations provide an interactive environment with a visual representation of cybersecurity concepts and applications.

Most Cyber Range challenges take place in a real Linux terminal.

A select number of challenges use a Linux desktop environment (Ubuntu or Kali):

Students are provided with directions that explain the real-world scenario, learning objectives, helpful commands, and where to begin.

The virtual environment typically starts in under one minute. If a lab takes longer than two minutes to load, students should click Stop Lab and then Start Lab again to restart it.

Once the virtual machine has started, students have 30 minutes to complete the challenge. Each challenge is designed to be completed within this time. The virtual environment is not persistent, so if a student refreshes the page, closes the browser tab, or stops the lab, any progress made during that session will be lost.

Additional challenge-specific instructions can be found in the README.txt or LAB_INSTRUCTIONS.txt files within the virtual environment.

When students locate the flag, they can enter it in the Submit Flag window to complete the challenge and earn points. Each flag is unique to the individual student and cannot be shared with classmates.

Hints provide students with additional guidance as they work through a challenge. The first hint is free, while each additional hint costs points. These points are used only within the Cyber Range and do not affect the student's grade. Teachers can disable hints for students in the Classroom Settings.

The Solution Guide is available only to teachers. It provides step-by-step instructions for completing the challenge along with teaching notes and additional guidance.