CYBERSECURITY STRATEGIES FOR THE METAVERSE PROTECTING DIGITAL ASSETS, VIRTUAL ECONOMIES, AND USER PRIVACY IN IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENTS

Beyond unprecedented cybersecurity challenges, and with its explosive expansion as a fully immersive digital ecosystem, the metaverse has also opened the doors to innovation, social connection, and commerce. This research analyzed how on Earth to protect user privacy, virtual economies and digital goods in the metaverse. Expert interviews were employed to collect qualitative data on effective defence mechanisms and surveys (assessing the frequency and kinds of cyber threats) were used to obtain quantitative data. The study found that new dangers such as avatar impersonation, the compromise of biometric data and exploitation of smart contracts have become threats unique to the metaverse, along with established risks such as phishing, identity theft and financial fraud continuing to thrive within the digitised world. Experts found strong support of multi-factor authentication, low trust systems, a centralized identification system, and privacy-forming digital signatures. The study also emphasized the serious psychological and reputational repercussions of cyberattacks, highlighting the fact that cybersecurity touched on issues of trust and wellbeing in addition to monetary loss. The study came to the conclusion that protecting the metaverse necessitated a thorough, multi-pronged approach that combined user awareness campaigns, legal frameworks, and technological innovation. Among the recommendations were the creation of international structures for governance to guarantee accountability and resilience, the implementation of sophisticated identity management systems, and investments in cryptographic protections. Cross-disciplinary cooperation was recommended as a future direction to handle the changing social, ethical, and technical aspects of metaverse security.