If your company has a valid service contract (Cisco Connection Online account), you can download certain images from the Cisco Software Central Better Alternatives for GNS3 Switching
While this guide focuses on GNS3, both and ContainerLab have native support for the same IOL images. They often boot L2 switches more reliably.
Cisco IOS images are copyrighted proprietary software. They are not freely distributable. To legally obtain an IOS image, you must either:
(IOS on Unix) rather than raw hardware binary files from a 2960 Legal Ways to Get Cisco Images
A used Cisco 2960-24TT-L costs around $30–$50 on eBay. For the price of a coffee, you get 100% accuracy. Use GNS3 for routers and connect them via cloud interfaces to your physical switch.