ERIC Number: EJ1475229
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1360-2357
EISSN: EISSN-1573-7608
Available Date: 2025-01-17
MetaHuman Based Phishing Attacks in the Metaverse Realm: Awareness for Cyber Security Education
Agarsha Manoharan1; Abiniah Sriskantharajah1; H. M. K. K. M. B. Herath2,3; L. G. P. K. Guruge4; S. L. P. Yasakethu2,3
Education and Information Technologies, v30 n9 p12939-12965 2025
MetaHuman technology's development and the Metaverse's growth have transformed virtual interactions and brought up new cybersecurity risks. This research provides cybersecurity awareness education tools for phishing attacks in the metaverse realm that use MetaHuman avatars, which turned out to be more dishonest than conventional phishing techniques. The proposed system was developed using Virtual Reality (VR), MetaHuman technology, and Unreal Engine (UE) to provide a more realistic phishing attack experience in the virtual domain. Seventy individuals tested the proposed system, and their pre- and post-experiment knowledge was evaluated. Since development needs are essential for creating a more realistic environment, the CPU and GPU performance was also assessed while the Metaverse system was operating. After the awareness session, participants' knowledge improved, indicating a significant (p = 0.0013) improvement in the phishing attack knowledge in the Metaverse realm. Before the awareness training, the gender (p = 0.043) and age (p = 0.047) groups significantly influenced the understanding of phishing attacks. The awareness program increased knowledge equally for male and female participants, regardless of age group, as evidenced by the lack of a significant gender effect on phishing attack knowledge following the session. Even though these results demonstrate the need for contemporary educational frameworks to combat emerging cyber threats in the Metaverse, limitations such as the geographical sample size and reliance on a controlled VR environment may need to be revised in their generalisability. This study provides valuable results for cybersecurity professionals, educators, and policymakers to strengthen cybersecurity in the Metaverse domain.
Descriptors: Information Security, Computer Security, Computer Simulation, Risk, Deception, Crime, Computer Science Education, Digital Literacy, Age Groups, Gender Differences, Outcomes of Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Sri Lanka Technology Campus, Faculty of Computing and IT, Padukka, Sri Lanka; 2Sri Lanka Technology Campus, Faculty of Engineering, Padukka, Sri Lanka; 3Sri Lanka Technology Campus, Computational Intelligence and Robotics Research Lab, Padukka, Sri Lanka; 4Pukyong National University, Department of Industrial 4.0 Convergence Bionics, Busan, Republic of Korea