Companies are increasingly venturing into the metaverse to grow there, but sometimes ignore important security warning signs. Just under half of the companies surveyed see themselves in a position to contain the threats posed by the Metaverse.
The “Measure Twice, Cut Once: Meta-curious Organizations Relay Security Concerns Even as They Plunge Into Virtual Worlds” study surveyed 1.500 IT, cybersecurity, and DevOps professionals. The study examines how organizations are addressing the opportunities and challenges associated with building, securing and participating within the Metaverse, while also providing insights into the risks and benefits of investing in this emerging technology.
Metaverse still new territory
While the Metaverse is still in its infancy, companies have begun exploring the new world of the Metaverse and its possibilities. In fact, 23 percent of companies have already ventured into this new sphere, and 58 percent plan to do business there within the next year.
Less than half of respondents are very confident in their ability to contain threats in this new environment. The Metaverse harbors both new and old risks and challenges for cyber security. According to survey participants, the following threats in the Metaverse are either “somewhat” or “very” likely:
- Traditional phishing, malware, and ransomware attacks (81 percent)
- compromised machine identities and API transactions (84 percent)
- Voice and facial feature cloning and video hijacking using avatars (79 percent)
- Eavesdropping by invisible avatars or man-in-the-room attacks (78 percent)
In addition to cyber security threats, respondents identified several key barriers to market entry, including the prospect of security breaches and identity theft (34 percent), the lack of a clear process for privacy protection (33 percent), and the lack of experienced security professionals for the Securing the Metaverse (32 percent).
Other key findings of the report
- 87 percent of respondents are in favor of regulating the Metaverse
- nine out of ten respondents agree that organizations need to develop a proper cyber security framework before offering services in such a virtual environment
- More than half (55 percent) of respondents say their organization needs to invest in training their current employees on safe cyber security practices to support their investments in the Metaverse
- when asked about the skills required for the Metaverse, respondents cited UI/UX design, 3D modeling, blockchain and game development, cyber security, and software development as key development areas
The full study, Measure Twice, Cut Once: Meta-curious Organizations Relay Security Concerns Even as They Plunge Into Virtual Worlds, is available free from Tenable.
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