7 Extended Reality Security Trends to Watch This Year

Extended reality security and data governance are becoming crucial concerns for today’s enterprises. Thanks to more advanced technologies and new use cases, demand for XR solutions is growing, forcing companies to rethink how they protect their data.

After all, extended reality devices, software, and systems rely on huge volumes of data to create immersive, hyper-realistic, and personalized experiences. Keeping this data safe is crucial not only to avoid financial losses and business disruptions but also to ensure companies can continue to adhere to compliance standards in an immersive world.

Based on our assessment of the current extended reality market, here are the most significant XR security trends worth watching this year.

1.    The Growing Focus on Ethics and Privacy

In the extended reality security space, privacy and ethics have long been crucial concerns. Extended reality devices collect huge volumes of personal data about a user. Already, devices like the Apple Vision Pro collects hand, eye, and other movements. Spatial computing solutions can also collect information about a person’s environment, through external-facing cameras.

This presents a number of ethical and privacy concerns. Regulatory bodies are beginning to discuss how much data companies should be able to collect about users for profiling purposes. Yet, organizations like Apple and Meta continue to invest in new ways to gather new data. Apple even filed a patent for sensors that would track things like breathing rate and hydration in users.

Access to this data isn’t just problematic from both an ethical and security perspective. If malicious actors gain access to a person’s personal data, there’s no limit to the damage they could cause. Going forward, new regulations will likely emerge to govern how devices and software collect and use this data, according to data privacy standards.

2.    Extended Reality Vendors Update Security Features

As consumers and regulatory bodies express new extended reality security risks, vendors are taking note. Companies like Apple have embedded biometric scanning capabilities into their headsets, to help reduce the risks of criminals stealing access and gaining access to data.

Headset vendors are also exploring new ways to improve physical security. For instance, the addition of mixed reality pass-through in devices like the Meta Quest 3 ensure users can always see their physical surroundings, when necessary. Plus, Meta also has it’s “Quest for Business” subscription, to give companies access to more endpoint and user controls.

Most vendors are also becoming more transparent about their approach to protecting data. Apple has detailed the efforts its taking to encrypt data and prevent access to personal details. However, there’s still a lot of work to be done in this space.

3.    Extended Reality Security, AI, and Deepfakes

The evolution of artificial intelligence in extended reality presents both opportunities and threats in the security space. One major threat that’s emerging, 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 create deepfakes with AI for some time. However, now that extended reality devices are collecting more specific data about users, with in-depth scans, to create realistic avatars, the threats are growing. If criminals can gain access to facial, eye, voice, and body scans, they can use generative AI to create convincing deepfakes.

This could present a significant security risk in the years ahead. It could allow criminals to gain access to secure immersive collaboration and metaverse environments with fake avatars. It could also lead to more advanced social engineering attacks in the metaverse. After all, criminals would be able to “mimic” people the users already know with exceptional accuracy.

4.    Extended Reality Security and Digital Twins

Digital Twins can be an extremely valuable tool for many businesses. All kinds of companies use these solutions to create immersive offices, design products, and monitor systems. These days, they’re becoming much easier to create, with tools like Varjo Teleport.

However, as data-rich virtual assets, digital twins also present risks. With a digital twin, companies can store all kinds of information in the cloud. They can recreate entire production lines, products, and processes with exceptional accuracy. So, what happens if a criminal gains access to these assets?

Malicious actors could prevent systems from working properly by altering the messages a digital twin sends to IoT devices. They could steal intellectual property about a new product, or collect personal information about staff. Criminals may even recreate digital twin environments and use them in phishing, social engineering, and ransomware attacks.

5.    Innovations in Extended Reality Security and AI

As mentioned above, artificial intelligence does introduce risks to XR. Alongside making it easier to create deepfakes, AI can present various data security and ethical problems. AI systems may collect and store data from users inappropriately. Intelligent assistants with generative AI capabilities could also demonstrate bias or discrimination towards users.

However, AI can also be a valuable tool for extended reality security. AI and machine learning programs deployed into XR and metaverse environments can assess data at speed. They can rapidly identify suspicious behavior, and potential security breaches, before they’re apparent to humans.

XR security solutions with built-in AI tools could also help companies to monitor how users access immersive tools. This can provide useful insights into employees that might be engaging in potentially dangerous behaviors, like using unsecure networks.

6.    New Services Emerge for Extended Reality Security

Now that the enterprise has emerged as an extremely valuable market for XR vendors, more innovators are focusing on security. We’ve already mentioned how vendors are working to make their systems more secure. However, third-party companies are exploring new opportunities too.

For instance, there are third-party software developers who specialize in endpoint management and access control solutions for businesses using XR headsets. Some companies also offer secure environments for XR development, like encrypted sandboxes with built-in code protections.

Metaverse as a service companies offer access to environments with built-in blockchain elements to boost the protection of digital assets. In the future, we might even see insurance providers offering coverage to protect against losses in the metaverse.

7.    Standards Continue to Evolve

Finally, as extended reality innovation and adoption continue at a break-neck pace, government groups, regulators, and legal bodies are beginning to act. Although there still aren’t many clear policies governing compliance and security in the metaverse and XR, this is beginning to change.

We’ve seen the rise of groups like the Metaverse Standards Forum in recent years, filled with companies committed to creating safer virtual environments. Plus, regulatory bodies are increasingly cracking down on companies that fail to adhere to existing standards in XR, like GDPR, and PCI.

Vendors, companies, government bodies, and regulators will undoubtedly work together in the years ahead to introduce new policies. There’s a good chance these policies will cover everything from data protection standards to ethical guidelines for XR usage.

The Future of Extended Reality Security

Extended reality security is something no company can afford to overlook. Whether you’re investing in virtual reality for product development, mixed reality collaboration, or augmented applications, protecting data and users is crucial.

Going forward, we can expect to see more vendors introducing new ways for companies to stay safe as they join the XR revolution.