CEI-LABS // MODULE 04 — THE OPERATION

The Event

A full-scale capture-the-flag training event, stood up on hardware you own — up to 80 operators working 59 hands-on challenges across three disciplines, on an isolated range, with an AI coach on every laptop. This is what the whole ecosystem exists to deliver.

80 OPERATORS. ONE RANGE.
ZERO CLOUD BILL.

Everything runs on a bare-metal mini-PC cluster in the room — no per-seat licensing, no external services, nothing that leaves the building. A serious competition experience that a single organizer can own end to end.

SELF-HOSTED · REPEATABLE · OPEN SOURCE
SEC 01 / BY THE NUMBERS
PARTICIPANTS 80

Operators on the range at once, each isolated from the others by design.

CHALLENGES 59

Hands-on problems, built and validated fail-closed before a single flag goes live.

DISCIPLINES 3

Linux fundamentals, cryptography, and server-side web security — Bandit, Krypton, Natas.

SOFTWARE COST $0

Open-source stack, self-hosted on hardware you already own. No licensing, no cloud spend.

SEC 02 / WHAT THE DAY LOOKS LIKE

  1. Operators arrive and connect. Each participant gets a laptop on an isolated network segment and logs into the range — no setup, no accounts to chase.

  2. Three tracks open in sequence. Bandit builds Linux fluency, Krypton covers cryptography, Natas covers web security. Challenges unlock progressively as operators prove out the fundamentals.

  3. An AI coach rides along. A friendly local model on every laptop talks newcomers through the puzzles — explaining the path instead of handing over the answer, so beginners aren't left staring at a blank terminal.

  4. The scoreboard runs live. Flags submit into CTFd; standings update in real time on the room's display for the whole event.

  5. Everything is repeatable. The same stack tears down and stands back up for the next cohort — a training capability, not a one-off.

SEC 03 / WHAT STANDS IT UP

Five modules working together turn an empty room and a stack of mini-PCs into a competition-grade cyber range.

ENGINE — THE RANGE 01

A multi-tenant cyber range on a bare-metal K3s cluster: CTFd, MultiJuicer, and analyst workstations, all in the room.

WARGAMES — THE CHALLENGES 02

59 challenges across three tracks, deployed into CTFd with one fail-closed script — no half-loaded competition.

NET — THE TERRAIN 03

Segmented, isolated network built to survive 80 operators scanning it on purpose without taking the range down.

AGENT — THE COACH 05

A friendly AI teammate on every laptop, running locally — no keys, no cloud — so beginners have a way in.
SEC 04 / WHY IT MATTERS

Commercial cyber-range platforms cost per seat and live in someone else's cloud. CEI Labs delivers the same kind of hands-on training experience on hardware in the room, owned outright, and repeatable for every new cohort — the whole thing open source and free to stand up again.

SELF-HOSTED — nothing leaves the building OPEN SOURCE — free to run again BEGINNER-FRIENDLY — an AI coach for every operator
OTHER MODULES
MODULE 01 — RANGE PLATFORMEngine

A modular, multi-tenant cyber range on bare-metal K3s.

 MODULE 02 — COURSE OF FIREWargames

59 challenges, three tracks, one fail-closed deploy.

 MODULE 03 — TERRAINNet

Built to survive 80 operators scanning it on purpose.

 MODULE 05 — LOADOUTAgent

A friendly CTF coaching AI that runs on your own laptop.