A Post Quantum Secured Authentication Protocol for the Metaverse

The Metaverse, comprising multiple universes referred to as verses, is envisioned as the future Internet. While this concept has sparked numerous discussions, insufficient attention has been given to the security challenges inherent in these virtual worlds. Communication between users and platform servers is particularly concerning, as sensitive information is exchanged over public channels, making them vulnerable to attacks. In addition, the security of many of these protocols depends on the complexity of factoring or the discrete logarithm problem. However, with the advent of Shor's algorithm, high-scale quantum computers can efficiently solve these challenges. Consequently, traditional cryptographic schemes utilised in Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA) protocols are increasingly vulnerable as quantum computers come to fruition. Considering this, a novel post-quantum secured authentication and key agreement protocol for the Metaverse is proposed. The security of the designed protocol has been rigorously verified using the Real-Or-Random (ROR) logic and Scyther validation tool.