Researcher Infects His Own Meta Quest VR Headset With Ransomware

· Jun 25, 2024 at 9:00 AM

A cybersecurity researcher set out to prove whether Meta’s virtual reality headset is susceptible to a certain flavor of ransomware.

Researcher Infects His Own Meta Quest VR Headset With Ransomware — Image: 404 Media.

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A cybersecurity researcher says they have managed to install a form of ransomware onto Meta’s virtual reality Quest headset, according to the researcher, as well as screenshots and a video of the infection shared with 404 Media.

The proof-of-concept shows that it’s not only desktop machines that could be susceptible to a ransomware infection, where hackers lock down a machine until the victim pays a fee, typically in cryptocurrency. Of course, the idea of someone wearing a VR headset and then encountering a giant PAY NOW OR ELSE message is also pretty funny.