>
The metaverse could not only be used to facilitate crime in the physical realm, but could also be used for several other dangerous forms of cybercrime, a new Interpol warning has warned.
Interpol’s executive director for technology and innovation, Madan Oberoi, explained that member states are increasingly concerned about possible metaverse crime and are already coming up with possible solutions.
There are multiple ways the metaverse can be exploited for crime, he said: “Some of the crimes may be new to this medium, some of the existing crimes will be enabled by the medium and taken to a new level.”
Phishing has evolved
One of the most popular fraud methods — phishing — could take on a whole new meaning when virtual reality and augmented reality are thrown into the mix, Oberoi said. In addition, the issue of child safety cannot be underestimated.
There are also ways for threat actors to use virtual realities to plan and carry out future physical attacks: “If a terror group wants to attack a physical space, they can use this space to plan and simulate and launch their exercises before they to attack.”
Many games have the ability to create maps, and virtual reality allows criminals to explore specific locations with terrifying details.
Interpol’s European counterpart – Europol – says it is also on track to tackle future crime, and recently warned that if the metaverse uses blockchain technology to record user interaction, it could be possible to “record everything someone does.” based on one interaction with them “valuable information for stalkers or blackmailers.”
Blockchain, the technology that underlines bitcoin (opens in new tab) and other cryptocurrencies, store data in a decentralized ledger, making it immutable and imperishable.
Through: Reuters (opens in new tab)