Flare has publicly launched Darkroom by Flare Academy, a free interactive training experience designed to give security practitioners, analysts and students hands-on exposure to the underground ecosystems they defend against.

The four-hour, self-paced program places participants in a purpose-built virtual environment where they can investigate dark web forum conversations, browse stealer log archives, analyze breach data and trace compromised identities. According to the company, the experience is intended to move beyond traditional learning methods that rely on reports, redacted screenshots and post-incident analysis.

Drawing on the environments and criminal tradecraft used by Flare researchers, Darkroom covers topics including dark web forums, initial access broker listings, ransomware-as-a-service operations, infostealer malware, stolen credential distribution, cryptocurrency tracing, threat actor attribution and pre-breach intelligence.

"Cyber threat intelligence is most valuable when defenders understand how attackers actually operate and how seemingly disconnected exposures come together before a breach," said Eric Clay, Head of Research at Flare. "Darkroom gives the security community a practical way to build that understanding through an experience grounded in real-world tradecraft."

The training platform also incorporates AI-powered threat actor personas that respond to participants' decisions, allowing the experience to adapt beyond a scripted exercise. Participants who successfully complete the assessment can earn a Flare Academy certification, continuing professional education credits and a digital badge.

Flare will also showcase Darkroom during a live event at DEF CON 34 on Aug. 6 in Las Vegas from 5 to 9 p.m. PT. The event will feature guided instruction alongside an interactive capture-the-flag competition using realistic underground forums, breach data and AI-powered threat actors. Participants are asked to bring their own laptops.

Darkroom is available free through the Flare Discord community.