Throughout my US military and civilian career, I’ve remained consistent in the belief that the cornerstone to the metaverse cybersecurity is knowing, without a doubt, who we’re interacting with. 

As defined by the Oxford Dictionary, Social Engineering is: “the use of deception to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential or personal information that may be used for fraudulent purposes.”

As technology innovation has accelerated exponentially from the invention of the printing press in 1436 to the development of metaverse in recent years, social engineering has become both easier and more dangerous.  With a few mouse clicks, a threat actor can successfully assume their victim’s identity, financial resources, and credibility. 

After more than 30 years in IT and information security, I have witnessed many cases of technological advancement where innovators have overlooked security principles in the early stages of development -- until they were reminded that threat actors are along for the ride and constantly seek new ways to exploit any and all weaknesses.  As companies invest more heavily in this new, immersive world, I’m calling on those pioneering the movement to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. 

That’s why I have partnered with MIT Technology Review to examine the state of the metaverse cybersecurity, its business potential, and the possible vulnerabilities. As history has taught us, Information Security leaders should have a seat at the table at the onset of such a disruptive evolution – to effectively recognize and head off any foreseeable security risks or gaps.

Here at Teleperformance, I have been an active participant in the metaverse use cases we’ve already been exploring with our clients because this incredibly seasoned, fortuitous team understands the role and critical importance that security must play in any new innovation – especially if it’s a service we’re offering to our clients. Ensuring the safety of their customers validates the trust our clients place in us each and every day.

In the case of the metaverse cybersecurity, the outlook is good. We don’t need to create new technologies to shore up the security capabilities because they already exist. Fortunately, the same blockchain and the Non-Fungible Tokens technology used to buy Jack Dorsey’s first tweet NFT can also be used to clearly identify and validate avatar identities in in the virtual world – mitigating the risk of social engineering. 

Those leading the metaverse customer experience movement just need to view security and identity protection as integral parts to be baked into the experience from the beginning.

Read the full MIT white paper, Identity Protection is Key to Metaverse Innovation, to learn more.