Design and Evaluation of Controller-based Raycasting Methods for Secure and Efficient Text Entry in Virtual Reality

With the exponential growth of digital information, ensuring text security, a fundamental component of information security, becomes increasingly paramount. While authentication remains a primary focus for data access control and protection, the rich sensor ecosystem and immersive experiences of virtual reality (VR) environments introduce new privacy risks, particularly with inconspicuous sensors like motion and location sensors. In this context, protecting the security of text entered by users poses a unique challenge. This paper explores the feasibility of enhancing text security by introducing variability in virtual input tools during typing processes. Specifically, we investigate the impact of introducing successive and random intermittent variations to the virtual ray (start point and direction) with controller-based raycasting techniques on text security and typing experience. The results demonstrate that introducing variability in virtual ray effectively protects regular text and passwords. Random intermittent introducing variability balances security and user experience for regular text. These findings provide insights into enhancing text security beyond authentication and defending against the potential risks in VR environments.