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Information
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Extended Reality and Cybersecurity
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Extended Reality and Cybersecurity

A special issue of Information (ISSN 2078-2489). This special issue belongs to the section "Information Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 10053

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yang-Wai Chow

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Computing and Information Technology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Interests: virtual reality; multimedia security; adversarial machine learning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Nan Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Computing and Information Technology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Interests: cybersecurity; IoT security and privacy; applied cryptography
Dr. Chau Nguyen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Computing and Information Technology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Interests: network virtualization and security; IoT security; cybersecurity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Extended reality (XR), which encompasses virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, etc., is becoming increasingly popular as many global companies and organizations are heavily investing in the research and development of such technologies. The growth of XR has seen it being adopted in a variety of application areas, such as remote work, immersive training, marketing, healthcare, virtual events, education, and entertainment. In conjunction with advances in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, digital twins, 5G communication, the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and so on, XR is expected to deliver greater and more engaging immersive experiences.

However, as XR deals with people, data, and information, cybersecurity and privacy threats are major concerns surrounding the use of XR technology. Among others, examples of such threats include the possibility of adversaries attacking and disrupting collaboration in shared XR environments, stealing data and identities, eavesdropping on communications, committing fraud through impersonating legitimate users or generating fake transactions, harassment in XR space, obtaining physical device locations, and so on. Hence, it is imperative for researchers and practitioners to develop solutions to safeguard XR and its related technologies against such threats in order for XR to receive widespread acceptance and adoption.

This Special Issue welcomes a broad spectrum of research papers, ranging from innovative techniques and applications to position papers and comprehensive reviews, on XR, cybersecurity, privacy, and their related areas. We seek original and high-quality submissions that are related, but not limited, to topics including extended reality (including virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, etc.), the metaverse, security visualization, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, attacks against machine learning and their defenses, privacy and social issues in XR, and so on.

Dr. Yang-Wai Chow
Dr. Nan Li
Dr. Chau Nguyen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Information is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • extended reality (virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, etc.)
  • metaverse
  • cybersecurity
  • artificial intelligence
  • machine learning/deep learning
  • adversarial machine learning and defenses
  • privacy and social issues
  • authentication
  • biometrics
  • security visualization
  • digital twins

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 1550 KiB  
Article
Using 3D Hand Pose Data in Recognizing Human–Object Interaction and User Identification for Extended Reality Systems
by Danish Hamid, Muhammad Ehatisham Ul Haq, Amanullah Yasin, Fiza Murtaza and Muhammad Awais Azam
Information 2024, 15(10), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/info15100629 - 12 Oct 2024
Viewed by 739
Abstract
Object detection and action/gesture recognition have become imperative in security and surveillance fields, finding extensive applications in everyday life. Advancement in such technologies will help in furthering cybersecurity and extended reality systems through the accurate identification of users and their interactions, which plays [...] Read more.
Object detection and action/gesture recognition have become imperative in security and surveillance fields, finding extensive applications in everyday life. Advancement in such technologies will help in furthering cybersecurity and extended reality systems through the accurate identification of users and their interactions, which plays a pivotal role in the security management of an entity and providing an immersive experience. Essentially, it enables the identification of human–object interaction to track actions and behaviors along with user identification. Yet, it is performed by traditional camera-based methods with high difficulties and challenges since occlusion, different camera viewpoints, and background noise lead to significant appearance variation. Deep learning techniques also demand large and labeled datasets and a large amount of computational power. In this paper, a novel approach to the recognition of human–object interactions and the identification of interacting users is proposed, based on three-dimensional hand pose data from an egocentric camera view. A multistage approach that integrates object detection with interaction recognition and user identification using the data from hand joints and vertices is proposed. Our approach uses a statistical attribute-based model for feature extraction and representation. The proposed technique is tested on the HOI4D dataset using the XGBoost classifier, achieving an average F1-score of 81% for human–object interaction and an average F1-score of 80% for user identification, hence proving to be effective. This technique is mostly targeted for extended reality systems, as proper interaction recognition and users identification are the keys to keeping systems secure and personalized. Its relevance extends into cybersecurity, augmented reality, virtual reality, and human–robot interactions, offering a potent solution for security enhancement along with enhancing interactivity in such systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extended Reality and Cybersecurity)
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25 pages, 18926 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Digital Identity: Evaluating Avatar Creation Tools and Privacy Challenges for the Metaverse
by Jorge Castillo Alcántara, Igor Tasic and Maria-Dolores Cano
Information 2024, 15(10), 624; https://doi.org/10.3390/info15100624 - 10 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1694
Abstract
This study explores the process of creating avatars for Virtual Reality and metaverse environments using a variety of specialized applications, including VRChat, Ready Player Me, VRoidStudio, Mixamo, Convai, and MetaHuman. By evaluating these platforms, the research identifies the strengths and limitations of each [...] Read more.
This study explores the process of creating avatars for Virtual Reality and metaverse environments using a variety of specialized applications, including VRChat, Ready Player Me, VRoidStudio, Mixamo, Convai, and MetaHuman. By evaluating these platforms, the research identifies the strengths and limitations of each tool in terms of customization, integration, and overall user experience. The practical implementation focuses on avatar creation within Unity and Unreal Engine, highlighting the technical aspects of rigging, animation, and real-time rendering. The study also delves into the broader implications of avatar use, particularly concerning privacy and security. Our findings reveal that while each platform offers unique advantages, the choice of tool significantly impacts the visual fidelity and performance of avatars in virtual environments. For the ease of use, Ready Player Me stands out with its intuitive interface. VRoidStudio is notable for its high degree of customizability, allowing for detailed avatar personalization. In terms of high-quality graphics, MetaHuman leads the way with its advanced graphical fidelity. At the same time, while some platforms excel in personalizing avatars or integrating with development environments (VRoidStudio, Ready Player Me), others are constrained by their limited flexibility or their platform-specific availability (MetaHuman, Mixamo). Understanding the technical intricacies of these tools is crucial for developing more immersive and secure metaverse experiences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extended Reality and Cybersecurity)
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19 pages, 7882 KiB  
Article
A Modular XR Collaborative Platform for Occupational Safety and Health Training: A Case Study in Circular Logistics Facilities
by Ali Vatankhah Barenji, Jorge E. Garcia and Benoit Montreuil
Information 2024, 15(9), 570; https://doi.org/10.3390/info15090570 - 18 Sep 2024
Viewed by 850
Abstract
Over the past few years, safety and health have become major concerns in the warehouse and logistics sectors. Each year, warehouse fatalities, injuries, and accidents cause unrecoverable losses and huge financial costs. In spite of all the advancements in methods, tools, equipment, and [...] Read more.
Over the past few years, safety and health have become major concerns in the warehouse and logistics sectors. Each year, warehouse fatalities, injuries, and accidents cause unrecoverable losses and huge financial costs. In spite of all the advancements in methods, tools, equipment, and regulations, the number of accidents, especially fatal ones, has not subsided significantly. As a result, safety professionals and researchers have explored new and innovative ways to combat this problem. In the circular logistics facility (CLF) industry, located inside warehouses and providing human muscle-oriented services to maintain pallets, both short-term safety incidents and long-term health concerns are present. Long-term health training is rarely discussed in the literature compared to short-term safety training. This is because health issues are more complex than safety issues, since biological outcomes may take time to develop, are affected by multiple resources, and cumulative injuries may occur. This paper contributes to warehouse health and safety by designing and developing a modular XR collaborative training and testing platform (MXC-P). The co-design process is applied to design each module in the MXC-P. Three main modules related to health and safety training for CLF were considered, namely personal protection equipment, pallet handling, and pallet repairing. On this platform, a virtual interactive world provides a solid hands-on training environment and generates syntactic data for evaluating long-term health risks. On the other hand, collaborative and modular environments provide a solution to geographically distributed systems, allowing employees to connect and train remotely. The effectiveness of the MXC-P is compared with traditional safety training in a pilot study. Based on the results, we can establish that the MXC-P is effective in teaching and testing hazard identification situations, especially those relating to short-term health. The results also indicate that trainees’ recall of knowledge would improve with the MXC-P. In addition to this, the MXC-P can also be used to test and evaluate a new system and generate syntactic data for evaluating long-term health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extended Reality and Cybersecurity)
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12 pages, 244 KiB  
Perspective
Reviewing the Horizon: The Future of Extended Reality and Artificial Intelligence in Neurorehabilitation for Brain Injury Recovery
by Khalida Akbar, Anna Passaro, Mariacarla Di Gioia, Elvira Martini, Mirella Dragone, Antonio Zullo and Fabrizio Stasolla
Information 2024, 15(8), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/info15080501 - 21 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1324
Abstract
People with disorders of consciousness, either as a consequence of an acquired brain injury or a traumatic brain injury, may pose serious challenges to medical and/or rehabilitative centers with an increased burden on caregivers and families. The objectives of this study were as [...] Read more.
People with disorders of consciousness, either as a consequence of an acquired brain injury or a traumatic brain injury, may pose serious challenges to medical and/or rehabilitative centers with an increased burden on caregivers and families. The objectives of this study were as follows: to explore the use of extended reality as a critical means of rehabilitative support in people with disorders of consciousness and brain injuries; to evaluate its impact on recovery processes; to assess the improvements in the participants’ quality of life, and to reduce the burden on families and caregivers by using extended reality and artificial-intelligence-based programs. A selective review of the newest empirical studies on the use of extended reality and artificial-intelligence-based interventions in patients with brain injuries and disorders of consciousness was conducted over the last decade. The potential for bias in this selective review is acknowledged. A conceptual framework was detailed. The data showed that extended reality and artificial-intelligence-based programs successfully enhanced the adaptive responding of the participants involved, and improved their quality of life. The burden on caregivers and families was reduced accordingly. Extended reality and artificial intelligence may be viewed as crucial means of recovery in people with disorders of consciousness and brain injuries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extended Reality and Cybersecurity)
23 pages, 511 KiB  
Systematic Review
User Authentication Mechanisms Based on Immersive Technologies: A Systematic Review
by Ioanna Anastasaki, George Drosatos, George Pavlidis and Konstantinos Rantos
Information 2023, 14(10), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/info14100538 - 2 Oct 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3359
Abstract
Immersive technologies are revolutionary technological advancements that offer users unparalleled experiences of immersion in a virtual or mixed world of virtual and real elements. In such technology, user privacy, security, and anonymity are paramount, as users often share private and sensitive information. Therefore, [...] Read more.
Immersive technologies are revolutionary technological advancements that offer users unparalleled experiences of immersion in a virtual or mixed world of virtual and real elements. In such technology, user privacy, security, and anonymity are paramount, as users often share private and sensitive information. Therefore, user authentication is a critical requirement in these environments. This paper presents a systematic literature review of recently published research papers on immersive technology-based user authentication mechanisms. After conducting the literature search in September 2023 using Scopus, the selection process identified 36 research publications that were further analyzed. The analysis revealed three major types of authentications related to immersive technologies, consistent with previous works: knowledge-based, biometric, and multi-factor methods. The reviewed papers are categorized according to these groups, and the methods used are scrutinized. To the best of our knowledge, this systematic literature review is the first that provides a comprehensive consolidation of immersive technologies for user authentication in virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extended Reality and Cybersecurity)
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