A lab that awards points for exploiting a vulnerability but never asks the learner to fix it measures one skill: finding a way in. That is a reasonable criticism of exploit-only exercises, but the available evidence does not establish that most security labs work this way—or that they produce “script kiddies.” The more useful question is whether training should assess both exploitation and repair.
What the evidence says about secure-development skills
A 2024 survey announced by the Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) and Linux Foundation Research covered nearly 400 software development professionals. Nearly one-third said they were unfamiliar with secure software development practices. Those are self-reported responses from the survey population, not a measurement of all developers or of the quality of security labs. OpenSSF and Linux Foundation Research, July 17, 2024.
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The survey points to a training challenge, but not to a single cause. Respondents named lack of time (58%) and lack of awareness and training (50%) as common barriers to implementing secure-development practices. Sixty-nine percent said on-the-job experience was a main learning resource; the announcement says it takes at least five years of such experience to reach a minimum level of security familiarity. These figures describe the respondents and should not be generalized to every workplace.
Self-directed learning was also common: 74% said tutorials, videos, and books were a main learning method. That makes practical, accessible learning formats worth considering, but the survey does not endorse a particular book, lab platform, or curriculum.
What a useful security lab should assess
Exploitation can teach learners how a flaw is abused. Secure development also requires recognizing the decision that created the flaw and changing it without breaking legitimate behavior. A repair-oriented exercise can make that second skill visible rather than assuming it follows from capturing a flag.
- Identify the vulnerable decision. Have learners explain what input, assumption, or code path makes the exploit possible.
- Change the code or configuration. Require a concrete remediation, not just a description of the problem.
- Replay the attack. Verify that the original exploit no longer succeeds.
- Check normal behavior. Run tests or equivalent checks to make sure the fix has not disabled a legitimate feature or introduced a new failure.
This is a proposed way to assess learning, not a proven universal formula. The sources here do not quantify whether this format improves defensive skills compared with exploit-only scoring.
A documented example of hands-on secure-development training
In October 2024, OpenSSF announced that its free Developing Secure Software (LFD121) course included optional browser-based interactive labs and quizzes. The course covered requirements and design, implementation, and verification—stages that connect security decisions to building and checking software. Its provider described the labs as a way for developers to experiment with techniques against common attacks. The announcement establishes that such training existed; it does not show that every lab requires learners to repair a vulnerability or report the effect of the course on their skills. OpenSSF, October 29, 2024.
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At the time of that announcement, OpenSSF said course material had more than 25,000 total enrollees since inception: over 18,000 in LFD121, over 6,000 in the first section of the LFD104x equivalent, and over 1,000 in Japanese translations. Those are provider-reported enrollment counts as of October 2024, not completion figures or current totals. The announcement listed a course duration of 14–18 hours; that is the stated duration at that time, not a verified current estimate.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to judge a lab before relying on it
For a learner, instructor, or team choosing training, the score alone is not enough to show what the exercise teaches. Check the exercise itself for evidence that it covers the whole security task:
- Exploit and repair: Does the learner only trigger the flaw, or also implement a fix?
- Verification: Is the fix tested against an attack replay and ordinary expected behavior?
- Scope: Which vulnerability topics and programming languages are included?
- Learning support: Are instructions, hints, and a way to verify the result provided?
- Access: Is the training available at a cost and in a format the learner or organization can use?
These are comparison criteria, not a ranking of particular providers. The available evidence does not establish how common exploit-only scoring is across security labs, or whether it causes weaker repair capability.
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