Teaching Cybersecurity Through Practice: Approaches and Insights

With the rapidly evolving cybersecurity threats, professionals require not only theoretical knowledge but also strong practical, hands-on skills. This systematic literature review investigates eight common hands-on approaches for developing hands-on cybersecurity skills among Information Technology (IT) students. These approaches include Capture the Flag (CTF), serious games, tabletop exercises, honeypots, penetration testing games, cyber ranges, cyber testbeds, and hackathons. The review followed PRISMA guidelines and identified 48 peer-reviewed papers published between 2021 and 2025 from five major databases. A thematic content analysis was conducted to examine educational benefits, and limitations. The findings of the identified approaches indicate that they are effective in increasing student engagement, motivation, and skill development. Challenges noted include scalability, institutional barriers, and the need for alignment with academic goals set out by institutions, as well as the demands of industry. This review provides some evidence to support inclusive curriculum design for cybersecurity education and highlights areas for future research on the long-term impact and the inclusion of soft skills.