Metaverse Forensics

Document Type

Book Chapter

Source of Publication

Advances in Digital Crime, Forensics, and Cyber Terrorism

Publication Date

1-1-2023

Abstract

The metaverse is poised to offer an immersive virtual environment for people to meet, socialize, collaborate, play, and conduct business transactions. Although the metaverse has not yet reached its full maturity, it has already been misused to launch illegal activities that can jeopardize the safety and well-being of individuals, and cause harm to organizations. Despite its increased importance, “metaverse forensics” remains an unexplored research topic. This chapter starts by reviewing the state-of-the-art research related to metaverse cybersecurity threats and underlying ethical, privacy, and legal issues. It then presents the results of a forensic investigation analysis performed on the VRChat and AltspaceVR metaverse platforms. The authors present new insights into metaverse forensics in terms of accessing digital containers and retrieving useful information for forensic investigators. Additionally, they highlight the primary obstacles encountered in metaverse digital forensic investigations and put forth recommendations for future research directions.

ISBN

9798369302200, 9798369302224

ISSN

2327-0373

Publisher

IGI Global

First Page

182

Last Page

208

Disciplines

Computer Sciences

Indexed in Scopus

no

Open Access

no

Link to Full Text

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