Extended reality security and data governance are becoming critical concerns for today’s enterprises. The growing demand for XR solutions, thanks to more advanced technologies and new use cases, is forcing companies to rethink how they protect their data.
After all, extended reality devices, software, and systems rely on massive amounts of data to create immersive, hyper-realistic, and personalized experiences. Keeping this data safe is critical not only to preventing financial loss and business disruption, but also to ensuring businesses can remain compliant with compliance standards in our engaged world.
Based on our assessment of the current extended reality market, the most important XR security trends to watch this year are:
1. Growing concern about ethics and privacy
Privacy and ethics have long been important concerns in the extended reality security space. Extended reality devices collect enormous amounts of personal data about their users. Already, devices like Apple Vision Pro collect hand, eye and other movements. Spatial computing solutions can also collect information about a person’s environment through external cameras.
This raises several ethical and privacy concerns. Regulators are starting to discuss how much data companies can collect about users for profiling purposes. But organizations like Apple and Meta continue to invest in new ways to collect new data. Apple has also applied for a patent for a sensor that tracks the user’s breathing rate and hydration level.
Access to this data is not only problematic from both an ethical and security perspective. When malicious actors gain access to an individual’s personal data, there is no limit to the damage they can cause. In the future, data privacy standards will likely lead to new regulations governing how devices and software collect and use this data.
2. Security feature updates from extended reality vendors
As consumers and regulators flag new extended reality security risks, vendors are taking note. Companies like Apple have built biometric scanning capabilities into their headsets to reduce the risk of data being accessed and accessed by criminals.
Headset vendors are also exploring new ways to improve physical security. For example, adding mixed reality traversal to devices like Meta Quest 3 means users can always see their real surroundings when they need to. Meta also offers a “Quest for Business” subscription to give companies access to more endpoints and user controls.
Most vendors are also becoming more transparent about their approach to data protection. Apple detailed the efforts it takes to encrypt data and prevent access to personal information. However, there is still much work to be done in this area.
3. Extended reality security, AI and deepfakes
The evolution of artificial intelligence in extended reality presents both opportunities and threats to the security sector. One of the major emerging threats is the ability of criminal actors to use generative AI to recreate hyper-realistic avatars, videos, and images of other people.
Criminals have been attempting to use AI to create deepfakes for some time. However, the threat is increasing as extended reality devices now collect more specific data about users through deep scanning to create realistic avatars. Once criminals have access to face, eye, voice, and body scans, they can use generative AI to create convincing deepfakes.
This could pose a serious security risk for years to come. This allows criminals to use fake avatars to access secure, immersive collaboration and metaverse environments. This may also lead to more advanced social engineering attacks in the metaverse. After all, criminals can very accurately “imitate” people you already know.
4. Extended reality security and digital twins
Digital twins can be an invaluable tool for many businesses. Companies of all kinds use these solutions to create immersive offices, design products, and monitor systems. These days, it’s becoming much easier to create using tools like Varjo Teleport.
But digital twins, data-rich virtual assets, also come with risks. Digital twins allow businesses to store all kinds of information in the cloud. Entire production lines, products and processes can be reproduced with exceptional accuracy. So what happens when criminals gain access to these assets?
Malicious actors can alter the messages a digital twin sends to IoT devices, preventing the system from functioning properly. They might steal intellectual property for new products or collect personal information about employees. Criminals can also recreate the digital twin environment and use it for phishing, social engineering, and ransomware attacks.
5. Innovations in extended reality security and AI
As mentioned above, artificial intelligence poses risks to XR. In addition to making deepfakes easier to create, AI can present a variety of data security and ethical issues. AI systems may improperly collect and store data from users. Intelligent assistants with generative AI capabilities may also show bias or discrimination against users.
But AI can also be a valuable tool for extended reality security. AI and machine learning programs deployed in XR and metaverse environments can quickly evaluate data. Suspicious behavior and potential security breaches can be quickly identified before they become visible to humans.
XR security solutions with built-in AI tools can also help businesses monitor how users access immersive tools. This can provide useful insight into employees who may be engaging in potentially risky behavior, such as using insecure networks.
6. Emergence of new services for extended reality security
Now that the enterprise has emerged as a highly valuable market for XR providers, more innovators are focusing on security. We’ve already mentioned how vendors are working to make their systems more secure. But other companies are also exploring new opportunities.
For example, there are third-party software developers who specialize in endpoint management and access control solutions for enterprises using XR headsets. Some companies also provide secure environments for XR development, such as encrypted sandboxes with built-in code protection.
Metaverse-as-a-Service companies provide access to environments with embedded blockchain elements to enhance the protection of digital assets. In the future, we may see insurance companies offer coverage to protect against losses in the metaverse.
7. Standards continue to evolve.
Finally, as extended reality innovation and adoption continues at a breakneck pace, government groups, regulators, and legal bodies are beginning to take action. There are not yet many clear policies governing compliance and security in the metaverse and XR, but that is starting to change.
We’ve seen the rise of groups like the Metaverse Standards Forum in recent years, filled with companies working to create safer virtual environments. Additionally, regulators are increasingly cracking down on companies that do not comply with existing standards in XR, such as GDPR and PCI.
Suppliers, companies, government agencies and regulators will undoubtedly work together to introduce new policies in the coming years. These policies are likely to cover everything from data protection standards to ethical guidelines for XR use.
The Future of Extended Reality Security
Extended reality security is something no company can afford to overlook. When investing in virtual reality for product development, mixed reality collaboration, or augmented applications, protecting your data and users is important.
In the future, we expect to see more vendors introducing new ways to help businesses stay safe as they join the XR revolution.