Safe Practices in the Metaverse

Don’t let old tricks follow you to new frontiers!
As you transport yourself to new worlds in the metaverse, ensure you don’t land in hostile environments. Follow these tips to steer clear of danger!

Is This the Real Site, or Is This Just Fantasy?
Devious cybercriminals have started creating lookalikes to mimic the websites of popular metaverse worlds. You log in to a fake webpage and BOOM – you have lost your credentials and digital assets!

Stay safe from look-alike sites with these tips:

• Look for obvious spelling mistakes or misplaced special characters in the web address.
• Bookmark a link to the actual login page of sites you frequently use instead of using a search engine.
• Always make sure the ending of the domain name is the same; if a website usually ends in .com but now is .io, be wary.

While exploring the vastness of the metaverse and meeting its inhabitants, make lots of friends. But make certain those friends aren’t foes!

Phishing Buddies
Phishing is the process in which cybercriminals try to trick you into giving out sensitive information or taking a potentially dangers action, like clicking on a link or downloading an infected attachment. They do this using messages disguised as coming from friends or trusted entities, hoping you do not think before you act.

Here are some simple tips to help:

• Beware of urgent or emotion evoking requests, this can be a way to get you to react before you think.
• Only click on links after you’ve verified that they can be trusted.
• Never click on random links in the metaverse, whether they are in a chat or otherwise.
• If you receive chats or offers that seem too good to be true, they probably are.

Final Advice
The Metaverse is a new and emerging technology, meaning that many of the regulatory safeguards and content moderation systems we have grown accustomed to aren’t yet in place. So have fun, but be wary of unusual links, offers, and spaces.