A security laboratory for CTF scenarios and teaching IDS

Modern attacks are using sophisticated and innovative techniques. Teaching and training programs have to focus on the practical aspects of security, i.e., on attack techniques and defense methods, such as Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). Team exercises provide an effective method to increase practical experience in security, as each team can gather knowledge on offensive as well as defensive techniques while learning from each other. The proposed laboratory provides effective security training by offering practical scenarios to practice attack and defense. The scenarios are parameterized and configured automatically to improve manageability. By using virtualized components as well as dedicated network infrastructure components, we can create complex scenarios that reflect real network environments. We designed and implemented several scenarios with various levels of difficulty. Finally, the teaching experiences for students and teachers are described based on the execution of the scenarios in multiple training sessions.