LABScon25 Replay | Simulation Meets Reality: How China’s Cyber Ranges Fuel Cyber Operations

Researchers Mei Danowski and Eugenio Benincasa present findings that three Chinese security firms (i-SOON, Sichuan Silence, Integrity Tech) faced U.S. indictments or sanctions for ties to malicious cyber groups, and that China’s commercial cyber-range and "attack-defense live-fire" exercise ecosystem — identified as roughly 120 providers within a broader industry of thousands — functions as a seedbed for offensive cyber talent used in state-linked operations. Based on Chinese-language business records, job postings, university materials, and interviews, the talk profiles providers and explains how contests, bug bounties, and live-fire exercises collectively bolster China’s offensive cyber capabilities.