Virtual reality headsets have not yet entered the mainstream, so people don’t really think about what threats might await users of such headsets. Therefore, experts decided to conduct a visual experiment.
Researchers from the University of Chicago have identified a security risk in Quest VR. As it turned out, the device’s system can be hacked in such a way as to steal important information from its owner, modify actions and show him false images – all you need to do is download malicious code into the system. Moreover, in this way hackers can gain access to a person’s social activity, change the content of messages sent to him, and even control his transactions. For example, one dollar sent to someone can imperceptibly turn into five.
In their material, the experts clearly described the process: first, the headset was switched to developer mode, which allows you to control it via Wi-Fi. After that, they implemented an application that is activated when the user returns to the main screen of the device. The program then begins to intercept the image and audio stream (and also track gestures). As an experiment, the researchers tried to hack 27 people. They were given a chance to play Beat Saber, but were not told what the experience was. Of these, only ten paid attention to the lag during which the Quest VR was hacked, and only one guest realized that this was not good.