Without a doubt, the metaverse represents a revolution never seen before in the world of the internet, but these advances often bring new questions and it is precisely what we will talk about today, security in the metaverse. ¿Is our information really protected?

And it is that getting to what we know today as the metaverse has not been an easy task, it has taken many years of work and technological advances that have made it possible to overcome obstacles that previously seemed impossible, such as achieving an intuitive user interface, which does not require last generation computers to function.

This important development will bring great changes in the way we enjoy games, music and tourism, creating more immersive and realistic experiences. All from the comfort of your home.

Consequently, the value of the metaverse has received a huge boost. And it is that, according to estimates by the consulting firm Grand View Research, the metaverse could have a value of more than 50,000 million dollars for this year in the United States. A figure that is expected to continue to rise and exceed 600,000 million dollars in the coming years.

This is mainly due to the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to lockdowns and social distancing, which has led to an increase in virtual activities (gaming, meetings, learning or shopping).

¿WHAT ARE THE RISKS THAT COULD AFFECT SECURITY IN THE METAVERSE?

For its operation, the metaverse requires certain permissions and access that are intended to improve some aspects of the platform and interaction with the environment. This is how they record the movement of the eyes, the way of walking, the dilation of the pupil and other features of the user, to develop an avatar that interacts in the most natural way.

This poses new challenges and makes us wonder if they are really safe environments. ¿What happens with access to the camera, our personal data, purchase information? ¿Are you really protected?

This aspect is so important that companies like Meta (before Facebook) plan to invest more than 50 million dollars in research that will allow them to improve security and privacy on their platform.

These 50 million dollars that Meta will invest will be used during two years of collaborative work with different entities such as the organization of American States, Women in immersive technology and the universities of Seoul, South Korea and Hong Kong, among others.

Below, we mention some aspects that you should take into account when using any platform for immersive experiences.

Access to devices.

To access the metaverse and enjoy the most immersive experience you will need at least a mobile device and VR glasses (Learn how to choose the VR glasses that best suit your needs and budget). This will allow you to enjoy the functional experience, however, you will have to accept some configurations and provide certain accesses that the platform requires to improve its service. It is important that you stop to carefully read the information requested and do not access suspicious platforms.

Additionally, you should keep in mind that these permissions may include access to the camera, essential to identify the environment and improve the experience. However, this could also be used for criminal purposes as they allow to determine the user’s height, weight, heart rate and even provide easy recognition with a high level of accuracy.

Identity fraud.

This type of virtual platform allows you to customize your character and use avatars that do not necessarily represent the physical characteristics of the person who handles it. This situation is used by people looking to access your personal information, so you should be very cautious with the users you interact with.

Another key point of care is the software known as voicechangers, which allow you to clone a person’s voice with a very short audio, so it will not be difficult for someone to impersonate another person.

Information exchange.

Surely, the interactions that we can have within the metaverse will not be limited to just walking and starting a conversation with another user. There will also be the possibility of sending and receiving video files, images or documents. For this reason, you should be careful not to download files with malicious content.

Currently, these files represent a great digital threat and will be a very important aspect to consider in the Metaverse.

Purchases and payment methods.

Regardless of the type of currency used on the platform, there will be the option to purchase real items or items for use within the metaverse, NFTs, or any other type of trading possibility. These transactions must be highly protected to avoid scams or information theft.

Management of personal information.

To access many platforms, you must grant access to certain types of sensitive information such as name, telephone number, identity document or residence address, without having payment information. For that reason, you should be careful when deciding where to enter this information. Use secure platforms, one way to determine if a site is secure or not is by looking at the top left corner and verify if it has a security certificate.

Be careful with your passwords and wallets, to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. We also recommend turning on 2-Step Verification on any site that requires you to sign in. Finally, avoid public Wi-Fi connections if you are going to deal with sensitive information.

In conclusion, the metaverse represents a great change and will allow us to live experiences that a few years ago we only saw in science fiction movies. However, like everything on the internet, you should be careful about accessing suspicious sites and the interactions you generate with unknown people to avoid falling for scams.

This aspect of security and privacy will also be in the hands of the developers of these platforms, who must ensure the protection of their users’ information through strategies related to strong digital identity controls.

Cybersecurity is teamwork, which requires many actors in the technological environment. Thus, ISPs, cloud providers and device manufacturers recognize that it is necessary to work together to overcome current security problems.

At Pentagrama.io we are very committed to security in the metaverse and we have developed different strategies to protect your information and control the access of suspicious users. Our goal is for you to enjoy this immersive experience to the fullest.

If you have any questions or concerns related to the security of your information, do not doubt to write to us.