Interpol says the metaverse could open up a whole new world of crime

The metaverse could be used not just to facilitate crime in the physical realm, but could also be used for various other dangerous forms of cybercrime, as well, a new  warning from Interpol has warned.

Interpol’s executive director for technology and innovation, Madan Oberoi, explained that member countries are growing increasingly concerned about possible metaverse crime and are already coming up with possible remedies.

There are multiple ways the metaverse could be abused 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 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 stated. What’s more, the question of child safety cannot be understated. 

There are also ways for threat actors to use virtual realities to plan and practice future physical attacks: “If terror group wants to attack a physical space they may use this space to plan and simulate and launch their exercises before attacking.”

Many games come with map-making ability, and with virtual reality, criminals could be able to explore specific locations with frightening detail. 

Europe’s Interpol 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 might be possible to “follow everything someone does based on one interaction with them – providing valuable information for stalkers or extortionists.” 

Blockchain, the technology that underlines bitcoin (opens in new tab) and other cryptocurrencies, stores data in a decentralized ledger which makes it immutable and incorruptable.

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Via: Reuters (opens in new tab)