Subj : VR headsets could be hacked in "Inception-esque" attacks  with at
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Fri Mar 22 2024 19:15:06

VR headsets could be hacked in "Inception-esque" attacks  with attackers able 
to steal your data without you even noticing

Date:
Fri, 22 Mar 2024 19:03:05 +0000

Description:
Researchers were wondering if people would notice anything amiss in the 
Metaverse - turns out they don't.

FULL STORY
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If someone were to infect your Meta Quest VR headset with malware , they 
could trick you into seeing things in the virtual world which werent real, 
experts have warned. 

Academics from Cornell University recently published a paper describing the 
possibility of hijacking peoples VR sessions and controlling their 
interactions with internal applications, external servers, and more. 

As per the paper, hackers could, in theory, insert what they call an 
Inception Layer between the VR Home Screen and the VR User/Server.For 
example, the victim could open their banking app in virtual reality, and see 
their usual balance, while being completely bankrupt in reality. The hackers 
could also, potentially, trick the victim into initiating a wire transfer, 
while being completely oblivious to whats actually going on. VR phishing 

Things can get even more crazy when you throw in generative AI, deepfakes, 
and other upcoming technology. People could end up thinking they were talking 
with their friends, coworkers, and bosses, in VR, while being taken for all 
they have, in the background. 

While the threats sound ominous, its important to note that the researchers 
didnt really explore the possibility of compromising these VR headsets. 
Whether or not they have a vulnerability that could be exploited this way is 
unknown at the time. Whats more, there is no proof-of-concept, no malware 
that could be able to pull such an attack off. 

Instead, the researchers were just interested in whether or not people would 
notice anything was amiss if such an infection did occur. 

In total, 27 people were tested to see if they would notice anything strange 
during their session of Beat Saber. The only visual clue was a little 
flickering on the home screen before playing the game. In total, 10 people 
noticed the change, nine of which attributed it to an innocuous system 
glitch. 

In other words, prepare to read about elaborate phishing scams in the 
metaverse. 

 Via Toms Hardware More from TechRadar Pro Deepfake threats are on the rise - 
new research shows worrying rise in dangerous new scams Here's a list of the 
best firewalls around today These are the best endpoint security tools right 
now



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/vr-headsets-could-be-hacked-in-inceptio
n-esque-attacks-with-attackers-able-to-steal-your-data-without-you-even-notici
ng


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