Eureka Labs: Enhancing Cybersecurity Education through Inquiry-based Hands-on Activities

In this paper, we will introduce the design and implementation of a variety of intriguing and challenging hands-on laboratories to advance cybersecurity training and education. We call these laboratory projects Eureka Labs in reference to the "aha!" moment of understanding a previously incomprehensible concept. We seek to create illuminating learning experiences by incorporating Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) activities to hands-on laboratories. In this project, we will develop three types of labs: i) Exploratory, where fun and inspiring activities are centered around basic security concepts in real-world applications; ii) Core, where fundamental security concepts are covered; and, iii) Advanced, where challenging topics and research issues are incorporated. We have also designed and built a suitable lab platform that is critical for the large-scale adoption and deployment of Eureka Labs.