Cybersecurity simulation teaches Calgary students about attacks and how to block them

The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology has launched a new cybersecurity lab that teaches students about the challenges of the digital age.

A new facility at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) pits students against each other to teach them some important lessons about cybersecurity.

The “cyber range” is a simulated environment where students can learn through real-world networks and attacks in SAIT’s school of advanced digital technology.

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The range has two rooms – one for attackers and one for defenders – as well as a command centre to give all the participants a hands-on experience with cybersecurity crises.

School officials say more than 50 simulations are included, giving students a wide range of scenarios to train for.

“We know at SAIT, it literally is thousands a day that come after our system,” said SAIT’s president and CEO David Ross.

“That’s not going to decrease and they way they do it is going to evolve. This system has the ability, I believe, to evolve with it.”

SAIT launched the cyber range for the beginning of cybersecurity awareness month.

Calgary police say cyber crimes jumped by 54 per cent in 2024, compared with 2023.