Virtual Reality Visualisations for Cyber Security

Abstract

Cyber security analysts use data visualisations to speed up ingestion of security data. These visualisations typically take the form of 2D graphics displayed on computer monitors. Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to improve these data visualisations using immersive 3D environments. These environments can support novel collaboration, navigation, and data manipulation mechanics. This thesis explores VR's role in cyber security, focusing on enhancing situational awareness and collaboration. Through a literature review, technological analysis, prototype development, and a 20-participant user study, insights on VR's advantages and limitations in cyber security are identified. The review reveals two core approaches: visualisation-centric and user experience-centric. An open-source prototype enables novel immersive workflows tailored for cyber security teams. The study found the participants to have higher accuracy in VR-based team tasks compared to independent activities, highlighting collaborative analysis as a prime use case. Using VR as an educational cyber security tool was also effective for most users. Together, these contributions reveal specific areas of potential for the use of VR in cyber security, while highlighting current limitations. With further research, VR could transform how teams detect, understand, and resolve cyber risks by enhancing situational awareness, training, and collaboration.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	English
Sponsors	KESS 2 PhD Student, University of South Wales
Supervisor	Ian Wilson (Supervisor) & Marius Miknis (Supervisor)