XR security has long been an overlooked concept in the emerging landscape of immersive technologies. It’s easy to forget just how exposed your data can be when you’re interacting with mixed and augmented reality content or traversing the metaverse.
However, as demand for extended reality grows across all industries, so too do associated threats. While any new technology can present risks to an organization, XR’s ability to alter our view of reality and collect endless volumes of data makes security a crucial concern.
In 2024, researchers even managed to break into a Meta Quest headset. If, like countless other companies, you plan on investing in XR this year, here’s why you should invest in security and data privacy solutions.
1. XR Security Threats are Increasing
First, the growing adoption of XR technology across all industries, from healthcare to manufacturing, has made the immersive landscape more attractive to malicious actors. Today’s criminals are leveraging an ever-increasing number of strategies to extract data from XR solutions.
Just like many other forms of technology, XR can be exposed to risks from:
- Social engineering attacks: Hackers could distort a user’s perception of reality to convince them to engage in risky behaviors, like sharing passwords or personal details.
- Malware: Hackers can embed malicious content into applications via metaverse advertisements, increasing the risk of data breaches.
- Denial of service: DDoS attacks are becoming increasingly common in XR, preventing access to crucial real-time information and data.
- Ransomware: Criminals may gain access to a user’s device and record their behavior or data, then threaten to release this information to the public.
- Man in the middle attacks: Network attackers can listen in on communications in immersive collaboration sessions, stealing sensitive data.
The rise of AI-powered tools makes it even easier for criminals to launch sophisticated, and extremely dangerous attacks against XR users. For instance, in the Meta Quest headset attack mentioned above, the researchers were able to use generative AI to actively manipulate users through social interactions.
2. Ethical Concerns Increase the Need for XR Security
As companies continue to use XR for everything from training to product development, it isn’t just the risk of losing intellectual property or business data that makes XR security essential. Companies must also ensure they adhere to ethical standards and protect employee data.
XR technology consistently tracks and gathers vast amounts of personal data. Innovative solutions like the Apple Vision Pro include numerous sensors, used to capture head, hand, and eye movements, as well as voice conversations. Plus, they can also collect spatial data about your surroundings.
Over time, this personal data can reveal a lot of intimate data about a person, including insights into their physical and mental state. While this could be a useful tool for companies that want to better-understand their users, it presents clear ethical issues around profiling.
Personal data privacy standards and compliance mandates will require companies to take extra precautions to limit the data they collect from users, and share with third parties.
3. Spatial Computing Reveals Additional Data
Ever since Apple introduced the Vision Pro, interest in spatial computing has increased. While spatial technologies are excellent for enhancing user experiences, they present unique XR security threats. Sensors and external-facing cameras collect data not just about a user, but their environment.
They could collect insights into everything from an office or warehouse layout to a production floor. If a criminal gains access to this data through hacking or malware, crucial intellectual property and business secrets could easily fall into the wrong hands.
In some particularly secure environments, like military bases, or law enforcement offices, access to this spatial data could be extremely dangerous. Plus, many companies are planning on collecting additional data from their headsets, such as lip and face movements. Some innovators have even discussed the option of brain scanning to enable neural headset control in the future.
4. Realistic Avatars Could Enhance Deepfakes
Companies like Meta and Microsoft have been searching for ways to make avatars more realistic for some time now. Hyper-realistic avatars can help to increase the sense of immersion in XR, and improve human connections. However, they also pave the way for “deepfake” opportunities.
With access to the right data, criminals and hackers can easily collect photo-realistic information about a user, and create virtual versions of that individual. They may even one day be able to steal biometric information, based on eye and face scans.
Right now, it’s relatively easy to distinguish fake avatars and videos from real ones, but the rise of generative AI is making it easier to create convincing deepfakes. This could present significant XR security risks for companies that rely on biometric information for authentication.
5. Digital Twins Present New XR Security Risks
Digital twins have emerged as one of the most valuable forms of extended reality for many companies. In the manufacturing, automotive, engineering, and architectural industries, they can accelerate product development and enhance predictive maintenance.
However, creating these realistic virtual representations of systems, products, and processes relies on a lot of data. If a criminal gains access to data about the real-time behavior of a system, or the components of a product, this leads to significant security risks.
Bad actors could even hack digital twins from a distance to cripple various business processes, preventing systems from running effectively. The risks associated with digital twins also increase when companies share these assets with various companies throughout the supply chain.
6. Metaverse Safety is Becoming More Important
Though the growth of generative AI has drawn some attention away from the metaverse landscape, adoption is still growing. That’s particularly true as vendors continue to introduce intuitive ways for users to build and manage their own metaverse environments without code.
Creating spaces in the metaverse for collaboration, brainstorming, and customer service can be extremely valuable to businesses. However, the more data these environments contain, the more risks they present in terms of intellectual property theft and content reproduction.
At the same time, the metaverse presents additional risks to consider around user safety. There have been plenty of examples of users being exposed to psychological threats and attacks in virtual environments. Investing in XR security and data protection strategies is crucial to defending both content, and users in the metaverse.
7. Compliance Standards are Evolving
Finally, one of the most significant reasons to invest in XR security and data governance is that legal, local, and industry-focused frameworks will soon demand it. As companies embrace extended reality, and new threats emerge, regulations are evolving.
Companies are already expected to adhere to the same security and privacy standards implemented by PCI, GDPR, and HIPAA when using XR devices and the metaverse. Going forward, we’re likely to see more regulations related to data protection in XR.
Plus, companies exploring the benefits of generative AI in XR will also need to reconsider how autonomous agents and bots collect, process, and share data.
Don’t Overlook XR Security This Year
The opportunities and use cases for XR in the enterprise landscape are constantly growing. However, as adoption increases, new threats are also emerging. Investing in the right XR security and data governance strategies is crucial for any organization navigating this new landscape.
Whether you’re using AR applications, mixed reality headsets, virtual reality, or the metaverse, don’t underestimate the importance of XR security.
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