"Metaverse Version of the Dark Web Could Be Nearly Impenetrable"

In the coming years, as the metaverse takes shape, many security issues plaguing cyberspace will also begin to affect virtual space. One of the threats will be the emergence of a new "darkverse," where criminals will be able to operate with greater impunity and danger than they can on the Dark Web today, according to two Trend Micro researchers speaking at an RSA Conference 2023 session on April 26 in San Francisco. The metaverse is a term used to describe a virtual space where individuals and organizations can interact in a computer-generated version of the physical world. A full-fledged metaverse will enable users to shop, work, socialize, and engage in other activities in a virtual replica of the physical world, similar to how multiplayer online games allow users to create digital avatars of themselves and interact with other gamers in fantasy worlds. According to the researchers, the same phenomenon will occur in the cybercriminal underworld. They noted that, just as the Dark Web exists on an unindexed deep web, the darkverse will operate within an unindexed "deepverse" that will be difficult for law enforcement to penetrate. Senior threat researchers at Trend Micro released a report last year detailing how security and privacy threats will likely emerge and evolve in the metaverse as its use increases. Among the threats identified in the report were amplified versions of some existing issues, such as social engineering, financial fraud, and privacy risks, as well as some novel threats, such as risks associated with NFTs, and cyber-physical threats. This article continues to discuss why it will be difficult for law enforcement to take down criminal activities on the deepverse. 

Dark Reading reports "Metaverse Version of the Dark Web Could Be Nearly Impenetrable"