"LSU Cybersecurity Researchers Help Protect People in Immersive Virtual Reality"

In 2020, about two million people used Virtual Reality (VR) headsets. The VR industry is expected to grow from $12 billion to $100 billion over the next five years. However, VR software developers and companies are not always implementing measures to protect consumers from being hacked. VR products are often released while still in development. Abe Baggili, an Louisiana State University (LSU) Cybersecurity Professor, is among the first in the world to investigate the security of immersive VR, or X-Reality (XR), systems and to provide solutions to this industry in order to protect people who use these new products. Everyone should be aware that all technology contains security risks. Once someone has access to an individual's device, they could steal their money by gaining access to their banking and credit card accounts, as well as cause other havoc in their life, according to Baggili. Baggili and his cybersecurity students tested a popular social and entertainment XR application, mostly used to watch movies with others in a virtual environment, to see if they can hack into users' headsets and computers. The team discovered that they could, and were able to, take control of a user's VR headset, view their screen, activate their microphone, and install a virus on their computer without the user's knowledge. When another user entered the virtual room and interacted with the unknowingly infected user, they became infected as well, similar to how viruses spread in real life. Furthermore, the researchers were able to enter the virtual room using an unnoticed device and act as a virtual invisible peeping Tom. Many of these VR applications and headsets are being used by children and young people, making safety and security measures even more important. The structure of the physical room a person is in, as well as their eye, hand, and body movements, are all collected by VR and XR devices. According to Baggili, this information could be used to cause physical, emotional, and financial harm to a user and their family. The researchers were able to disorient users, delete physical boundaries, and make them walk into walls or fall down staircases in reality by hacking into a VR headset and camera. This article continues to discuss the LSU cybersecurity researchers' study on protecting people in immersive VR. 

LSU reports "LSU Cybersecurity Researchers Help Protect People in Immersive Virtual Reality"