Labtainers: a framework for parameterized cybersecurity labs using containers

Abstract

We have created a framework to simplify creation, deployment, and assessment of stand-alone cyber security lab exercises, intended for use on individual student computers. We are implementing this framework using Linux Docker containers. Each lab has one or more associated containers that ensure an execution environment consistent with the requirements of the soft ware elements and activities within the lab. Lab-specifi c containers are automatically installed and confi gured on the student’s Linux computing platform, (e.g., a VM) when the student starts the lab. Results of student lab activity are automatically collected and packaged when the student completes the lab, and these results are automatically evaluated on an instructor’s computer, using similar Docker containers. Automated assessment of student labs makes it practical, (from an instructor’s perspective), to individualize every instance of each lab such that students cannot easily submit results either created by another student or mined from the Internet.