Replicating and Sharing Computer Security Laboratory Environments

Many institutions are currently investigating the feasibility of creating Computer Security Laboratory environments for their researchers and students. This paper compares four of the current isolated and remote access labs that institutions could use as models to minimize the effort required to create or access a working computer security lab without investing the years of effort that the original creators did. Laboratory attributes investigated include scalability, access capabilities, teaching environments, time requirements, and cost requirements. Additionally a discussion of the challenges associated with each environment is presented. Finally, a model for sharing remote access laboratory capabilities is delineated as an alternative for programs for which the creation of a local remote access lab would not be cost effective and some future investigation areas are identified.