Cybersecurity threats in Virtual Reality Environments: A Literature Review
Ananth N. Ramaseri-Chandra, Prasad Pothana · 2024
As VR technology gains popularity and is increasingly being adopted across various domains, there is a need to comprehensively understand potential cyber threats in immersive environments and effectively confront them with utmost urgency. This literature review is a timely endeavor, aiming to comprehensively analyze existing research on cyber threats specific to VR systems, their underlying causes, and potential mitigation strategies. The review encompasses a wide range of VR applications, including gaming, training simulations, virtual workspaces, and educational settings. The paper first examines the unique attack surfaces and vulnerabilities such as sensor manipulation, data injection, and avatar hijacking introduced by VR systems. It then details the severe consequences of successful cyber attacks, including privacy breaches, significant financial losses, and even physical harm to users from existing literature. This review synthesizes findings from academic literature, industry reports, and relevant case studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current cyber threat landscape in VR environments. It not only highlights the gaps in existing research, such as the lack of standardized security protocols for VR systems and the limited understanding of user behaviors that may lead to vulnerabilities, but also outlines future directions for developing robust security frameworks, standards, and best practices to ensure the safe and secure adoption of VR technology across various applications. Furthermore, the review explores the challenges of implementing effective security measures in VR environments, considering factors like real-time processing, user immersion, and hardware limitations.