Quantum computing and Metaverse security
A. Saranya, Rajiv Iyer, Vedprakash Chandrakant Maralapalle, and Shivali Wagle · 2025
With such rapid development occurring in quantum computing, it becomes a great threat to the security of the Metaverse. Quantum computers are emerging machines that, when scaled up to the necessary strengths, pose a serious risk of cracking the current security codes and protocols used in the digital world. This chapter will discuss the emergence of quantum computing as a threat to Metaverse security and ways to approach its threat in the future. We will start by exploring the threat of quantitative computing on Metaverse security and the capability of quantum algorithms such as Shor’s algorithm to efficiently decipher RSA and elliptic curve cryptography. We will also cover the timelines for quantum supremacy and the urgent necessity to migrate to post-quantum cryptography. In the next section, we will explore the ongoing initiatives the governments and standards bodies are taking to counter this threat. This will include covering current activities such as the U.S. National Quantum Initiative Act, National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) process of post-quantum cryptography standardization, and the EU’s Quantum Flagship program. The chapter will focus on the need for global cooperation and collaboration to fend off quantum attacks on the Metaverse. We will then examine the factors that affect the security of the Metaverse, a networked environment primarily based on virtual reality, augmented reality, and real-time. We will consider the importance of developing new low-latency quantum-resistant cryptography for Metaverse communication and using quantum key distribution for secure infrastructure in the Metaverse. It will also analyze the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in improving Metaverse security. The subsequent sections of this chapter will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can identify anomalous activities, determine threats, and protect itself from attacks in real time. However, we will also be reminded of the potential risks of AI and the usefulness of human intervention and supervision. Constantly evolving quantum computing poses a significant threat to the Metaverse, its providers, and users, as we will see in this chapter. This will involve the directions given toward the migration out of quantum cryptography, proactive adoption of defense-in-depth techniques, and quantum-safe assets. We will also talk about the concept of user training and the necessity of identity and access management in the Metaverse.