{"id":3256,"date":"2022-01-17T18:43:05","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T18:43:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/17\/cybersecurity-blockchain-and-nfts-meet-the-metaverse\/"},"modified":"2022-01-17T18:43:05","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T18:43:05","slug":"cybersecurity-blockchain-and-nfts-meet-the-metaverse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/17\/cybersecurity-blockchain-and-nfts-meet-the-metaverse\/","title":{"rendered":"Cybersecurity, blockchain and NFTs meet the metaverse"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When Facebook Inc.\u00a0changed its name<\/a>\u00a0to Meta Platforms Inc. last fall, the move catalyzed a chain reaction throughout the tech industry. Software firms, gaming companies, chipmakers, device manufacturers and others have joined in the hype machine.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to dismiss the metaverse as futuristic hyperbole, but do we really believe that tapping on a smartphone, staring at a screen or two-dimensional Zoom meetings are the future of how we work, play and communicate? As the internet itself proved to be larger than we ever imagined, it\u2019s very possible that the combination of massive processing power, cheap storage, artificial intelligence, blockchains, cryptocurrency, sensors, augmented and virtual reality, brain interfaces and other emerging technologies will combine to create new and unimaginable consumer experiences \u2014 and massive wealth for creators of the metaverse.<\/p>\n

In this Breaking Analysis, we explore the intersection of cybersecurity, blockchain, cryptocurrency, nonfungible tokens and the emerging metaverse. To do so, we welcome\u00a0Nick Donarski<\/a>, cybersecurity expert, hacker, gamer, NFT expert and founder of ORE System.<\/p>\n

Key issues for today\u2019s discussion<\/h3>\n

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Today we\u2019re going to traverse two parallel paths.\u00a0One took Nick from security expert and security penetration tester to NFTs, tokens and the metaverse. And we\u2019ll simultaneously explore the complicated world of cybersecurity in the enterprise and how the blockchain, crypto and NFTs \u2014 which allow for the ownership of virtual items in virtual worlds such as avatars and virtual apparel \u2014 will provide key underpinnings for digital ownership in the metaverse.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll talk a bit about blockchain and crypto and some of the realities and misconceptions and how innovations in those worlds have led to the NFT craze. We\u2019ll look at what\u2019s really going on in NFTs and why they\u2019re important as both a technology and societal trend.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll dig into the tech and try to explain why and how blockchain and NFTs will lay the foundation for the metaverse. And finally, who\u00a0is going to build the metaverse and how long will it take?<\/p>\n

From hacker to NFTs<\/h3>\n

Nick Donarski started his career as a hacker. He began to explore technology as an infant then got deep into cyber as a pen tester, helping companies expose gaps in their security. And it wasn\u2019t just the logical part of the security stack.<\/p>\n

Nick would sneak into client companies through weak points of access, like the smoking door. He\u2019d park in a cubicle for hours playing games and wait for the staff to leave for the day. Then when things got quiet, he\u2019d poke around the building, taking pictures of sensitive information left out on desks and he\u2019d ultimately find the data center. He\u2019d poke his head through the drop ceiling and see if access could be gained that way.<\/p>\n

He even had two \u201cget out of jail cards,\u201d one fake and one real. The fake card had the phone number of a friend that he would call if caught by security to tell them he was legit \u2013 a technique he used to find weak links deep in the process. The real card was if security didn\u2019t buy his story \u2013 or if his friend didn\u2019t answer and Nick got put in handcuffs.<\/p>\n

According to Nick:<\/p>\n

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I started a long time ago as my dad was really into technology. I wrote my first program on an Apple IIe in 1989 and incorporated my first company in high school when I was 16. The company did tech support for parents and teachers and then in 2000 transitioned and really got into security and my focus has been there there ever since.<\/p>\n

I joined Rapid7 and then I was one of the founding members of HP\u2019s Shadow Labs. I\u2019ve been part of the information security and cyber community throughout my career. Whether it\u2019s doing training at various conferences or speaking, my awesome moments are when things are getting broken into, I get to work with somebody that\u2019s new to the industry that has that light bulb moment of really understanding the technology or an idea or \u201cgetting it\u201d when it comes to security.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The complicated picture in enterprise security<\/h3>\n

Before we get into the emerging technologies, we want to share some data on the enterprise security market and get Nick\u2019s comments. We\u2019ve reported over the past several years on the complexity of the security industry and the numerous vendor\u00a0choices security operations pros face. The chart below tells that story.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s an XY graph from the ETR surveys where the vertical axis is a measure of spending momentum called Net Score and the horizontal axis is Market Share, which represents each company\u2019s presence. A couple of notable points:<\/p>\n