Cybersecurity in Metaverse
Introduction
What is the Metaverse?
Metaverse is a broad term. The word “meta” is taken from the Greek word after or beyond and “verse” means universe. It generally refers to a shared virtual world environment which people can access via the internet using AR (Augmented Reality) or VR (Virtual Reality). Some people use the word metaverse to describe gaming worlds where users will have a character that can walk around and interact with the other players. Its use case can be extended beyond gaming and other sectors such as entertainment, music, work, meetings, and chats. It would be an online world where people can game, work, and communicate in a virtual universe.
Understanding the Seven Layers of Metaverse:
Layer 1: Experience
This is the layer most people think of when they think of the metaverse. The experiences people have interacting in digitally-driven environments. Experience is what and where the user engages with sports, content, shopping, Theatre, NFTs, immersive worlds, digital media, games and much more. Layer 1 also includes many other everyday experiences where the digital and physical worlds collide and blend: Zoom meetings, Alexa assistants in the kitchen, and Peloton home gym workouts. A glimpse of the future is offered by Bloktopia which promises an immersive experience for the crypto community.
Layer 2: Discovery
Discovering is all about the pull that exposes people to different experiences. It is a huge ecosystem and an area that is the most profitable for most businesses. In general, the majority of discovering platforms can be classified as either inbound or outbound information-sharing / marketing systems. Inbound includes community content platforms where people can find out what other people like and recommend. Outbound discovery includes notifications and display ads.
Layer 3: Creator Economy
This layer contains all of the technology that creators use to create the many multiverse experiences. Makers and artists employ design tools, apps, asset markets, and workflow platforms in the creative economy. When the internet was first being built, any developer had to be a coder and create their own programming and tools from the ground up. Later, web app frameworks such as Ruby on Rails made it easier to create web applications, and libraries such as DirectX and Open GL made it easy to render 3D visuals without having to understand all of the coding details. To construct their web tech, creators in the metaverse generation will have access to a range of templates, tools, and marketplaces. For example, you can now use Shopify to create and manage a fully functional e-commerce site without needing to know any programming. The technologies provide creators with additional opportunities and decision-making power, enabling a truly creative economy.
Layer 4: Spatial Computing
The mixing of physical and virtual areas is referred to as spatial computing. Spatial computing erodes the barriers that exist between physical and virtual locations, whether it’s making online 3D spaces more manipulable and uncannily “real” or augmenting the actual world with more digital experiences and information. 3D engines and programs, AR, VR, XR, and mapping are all part of the spatial computing layer. This layer also includes the Internet of things (IoT), which includes the rise of biometric applications for health and fitness. It also includes voice recognition and gesture recognition technology.
Layer 5: Decentralization
The metaverse will be decentralized, open, and distributed, which will be a significant aspect. Blockchain technology, smart contracts, open-source platforms, and the prospect of a self-sovereign digital identity are all examples of decentralization. Blockchains for NFT games based on Ethereum are already being developed. Web3 and decentralized finance (Defi) are assisting in the liberation of financial assets from centralized control.
Layer 6: Human Interface
The future may or may not belong to robots, but humans are already being robotized in the metaverse. The interaction between digital technology and human bodies is already here and growing in popularity. All technology that extends our physical bodies with digital technology is referred to as the human interface. VR headsets, smart glasses, neural networks, haptics, and wearables are all part of it. Oculus Quest, as well as fledgling smart contact lenses, will not only do all of the features of a smartphone but will truly modify how we see the world around us.
Layer 7: Infrastructure
The metaverse’s infrastructure is all of the technology that enables, connects, and powers our digital gadgets, ultimately enabling everything in the layers below. Infrastructure includes data centres, cloud computing, wireless, materials, and processing, among other technologies and network components. Infrastructure development includes the creation of 5G and 6G computing systems based on microchips that are getting denser and faster all the time. We’re also seeing a shift from cloud computing to edge computing, with compute and data storage moving closer to where data is generated and consumed.
Security challenges to Metaverse
AR and VR, which provide the metaverse’s interface, are the two most prominent technologies driving the metaverse. On the other side, the metaverse may be affected by the security and privacy concerns raised by these technologies.
Security Risks of Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality, or AR, is one of the metaverse’s basic foundations, and new AR breakthroughs are unquestionably intriguing. New AR breakthroughs may be able to give new instruments and methods for data collection. Simultaneously, augmented reality opens up a slew of new possibilities for changing links between the physical and virtual worlds. However, AR is to blame for a slew of major metaverse security issues, particularly when it comes to user privacy.
What happens to a user’s privacy if an AR device is hacked?
What will AR companies do with the data they receive from consumers and how will they protect it?
What storage locations do firms use for AR data, and what encryption mechanisms do they use?
Is AR data shared with third parties, and if so, for what purposes?
All of these concerns highlight blockchain security issues in the metaverse, such as social engineering attacks, credential theft, and denial of service.
Social Engineering Attacks
Anyone could use relevant documents to confirm their identification in the real world. Users in the metaverse, on the other hand, must employ digital avatars to verify voice, video recordings, and facial features. AR and VR gadgets allow people to engage with each other and the metaverse. Using social engineering techniques or identity theft tricks, hackers can persuade users to give personal information.
Credential Theft
One of the most difficult metaverse challenges you might face right now is detecting theft. In the metaverse, anyone with access to your network credentials might effortlessly take your identity. Wearable devices can be used by hackers or criminals to breach users' network credentials. In fact, one of the major worries for merchants deploying shopping apps based on VR and AR technologies is hacking. Theft of network credentials can jeopardize users’ financial and personal information saved in their metaverse user accounts.
Ransomware
Ransomware can be the next most prominent threat posed by VR in the metaverse. Hackers may, for example, introduce features into virtual reality platforms that trick users into disclosing personal information. Hackers can utilize VR vulnerabilities in the metaverse for ransomware attacks, just like they can with AR social engineering attacks. Users' metaverse experiences could be readily compromised if hostile agents gain access to VR devices used to access the metaverse.
Reduced Perception of Physical Space
The loss of connection to the real world is another challenging entry among metaverse challenges beyond the boundaries of privacy. The immersive and extremely engaging metaverse experiences made possible by VR technology are a major reason for the metaverse’s success. VR, on the other hand, isolates a person from the real world for a set length of time. Users engrossed in virtual reality activities have no audio-visual connection to the outside world. As a result, security problems in the metaverse as a result of VR also extend to physical security concerns in the user’s environment. To avoid any physical security difficulties in the metaverse, users should always be mindful of their surroundings.
Identity Theft
The metaverse’s virtual reality technology makes it a vulnerable target for identity theft. Various machine learning algorithms can easily assist in the manipulation of sounds and pictures to the point where they appear natural. Consider a scenario in which hackers have gotten access to a VR headset’s motion-tracking data. By utilizing the motion-tracking data from VR headsets, the hackers could now simply create digital copies. Hackers can then utilize the digital duplicates in conjunction with another person’s VR experience to conduct social engineering attacks.
Polarization and Radicalization
The final and most critical entry among metaverse blockchain security vulnerabilities would highlight the metaverse’s possibility for polarization and radicalization. The basic concept of a shared universe creates the security dangers of polarization and radicalization in the metaverse. Without a doubt, the metaverse is a vast platform for collecting various applications, assets, services, and users. The metaverse’s ability to serve as a centralized access point for all resources is critical to its success.
If you look at the current site structure, you’ll see a completely different picture. You have a variety of platforms, some of which are large and well-known, while others are niche and small-scale. Each user can find a unique community or online platform with members who have 10 similar interests and preferences under such a system.
The metaverse, on the other hand, proposes coexistence and presence in a shared, persistent virtual realm. The fusion of drastically different and possibly conflicting user groups can raise serious security risks in the metaverse. Many MMORPG gaming environments, for example, have documented incidents of cyber-bullying of female and low-skilled players.
How can we make the Metaverse safe?
When it comes to using new tech tools in the workplace, companies prefer to focus on the possibility, with security being a last-minute consideration. Businesses and individuals are often enthralled by the novelty of the experience, underestimating the need of protecting themselves from the numerous sorts of cyber security breaches that come with the adoption of these new technologies. As a result, businesses must recognize that, while the metaverse appears to be a novel new method of doing business, it also creates a big opportunity for hackers to perpetrate cybercrime and abuse enterprises and individuals using the platform.
In reality, a defence-in-depth strategy, which allows firms to establish several layers of security management throughout their IT system, is the greatest way to protect against the unknown threats that the metaverse notion may provide. This strategy enables companies to investigate 15 all aspects of data transit and communication (email, online, apps, messaging), as well as the physical network, building settings, and extremely vulnerable human variables. It also highlights the importance of providing sufficient cyber security awareness training to ensure that all personnel within a company are well-prepared to deal with common cyber security dangers in the metaverse.
We may expect more devices to communicate and exchange data as we move toward a future with AR and VR devices. This hardware must be secure, and the underlying technology may be something we haven’t yet developed. Fans of the Metaverse expect that sensors will be used to avoid the need for extensive and even sensitive personal data to validate a user’s identity. Creating norms and regulations on who owns the data and who has the authority to sell it should also be a major concern for all parties involved. In today’s online world, the corporation with the most data access emerges as the clear winner.
Safety standards
Companies will need to do more than just alter policies to protect users’ data and privacy. To address the privacy and security challenges, a trustworthy ecosystem must be established that can develop algorithms, frameworks, and rules. The metaverse can be made incredibly secure with the correct mix of tech and protocols.
Building a secure environment Companies must collaborate with government, business, academia, and civic society to create the Metaverse. Experts have identified a number of objectives that correlate with the concept of a safe metaverse, including identifying who has the ability to make regulations, addressing present infrastructure difficulties, better managing and protecting digital identities, and framing virtual reality trust policies.
To protect metaverse interactions, I would suggest a multi-pronged approach that includes three mutually reinforcing areas: individual, organizational, and legal.
Individual: We know from experience on the internet and in other settings that anonymity diminishes inhibition and accountability. As a result, there are numerous areas of our lives where we must prove our identity, whether it’s giving identifying credentials to obtain a driver’s license or validating the purchase of an Amazon item in order to leave a review. So, let’s try to minimize anonymity in the metaverse by implementing solid identity-authentication systems. Bots will be eliminated, and much greater accountability will be promoted in our increasingly virtual lives.
Organizational: Businesses and other organizations that operate in the metaverse must develop engagement standards as well as methods for identifying and enforcing repercussions for the activity that they believe is inappropriate. Hate-motivated or otherwise harmful activities, as well as misrepresentation, fall under this category. The problem is that corporations, in particular, must be willing to make a balance between profits and safety/fairness, and practices that favour certain groups over others, regardless of intended, will always face criticism. To get metaverse-related regulations correct, patience, kindness, and experimentation will be required.
Legal: Finally, the legal aspect is crucial in this situation. When adequately implemented, legislative frameworks and remedies can handle instances of libel, harassment, and other behaviours in the virtual world, providing vital safeguards. We’ve seen the difficulties of evolving legal and regulatory regimes to keep up with fast-moving social media and other digital trends yet again, but we must try, ideally with strong collaboration at the public-private interface — companies working with legislators on policies that are good not just for profits but for the broader public good. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation approach to legal solutions in the metaverse realm is a valuable “consumer protection” model.
Future of Cybersecurity in the Metaverse
It’s difficult to draw clear lines around how the metaverse can affect cybersecurity because the concept has yet to be realized. However, conclusions can be drawn based on the workings of previous “metaverses” conjured up by the game industry, as well as other security concerns surrounding the concept.
The rise of NFT scams has revealed a frenzy of cybercriminal activity. Because these scams use social engineering techniques, it’s safe to assume that social engineering attacks will continue. In reality, as the metaverse develops, there will very certainly be an increase in attacks. Because the Metaverse will hold such a large amount of sensitive data, there will almost certainly be an increase in hack attacks. Along with that, there’s an obvious impact on data privacy. If things stay susceptible, there could be a lot of hacking and data theft, which would be bad for everyone. With it comes the possibility of phishing schemes and malware infections.
The fact that the metaverse is built on blockchain technology is undoubtedly the most alarming aspect. While this technology is secure, it is not completely immune to security flaws. Furthermore, it is decentralized, as there is no designated administrator or moderator to maintain command and control. There will be no way to recover stolen or fraudulently obtained assets with such a lack of authority. Because the Metaverse will be based on avatars, there will be no easy way to track out cybercriminals. As evidenced by the dark web, anyone may deceive the digital landscape.
Digitization is fascinating in all of its manifestations. The advancement of technology is greeted with passion and enthusiasm, owing to the fact that it improves people’s lives all over the world and eliminates a variety of issues. However, as the metaverse demonstrates, the cybersecurity features of these digitizations are frequently compromised in all their glitz.
Although the metaverse is a very fantastic concept that has the potential to benefit the world in a variety of ways, it is critical to recognize that if the cybersecurity aspect is overlooked, it may all fail. As a result, despite all of the hype around its growth, cybersecurity is a problem that requires far more attention than it now receives.
References:
[1] “The Metaverse Value-Chain”, Jon Radoff — April 7, 2021.
URL: https://medium.com/building-the-metaverse/the-metaverse-value-chain-afcf9e09e3a7
