Image Movement Attacks on Optical See-Through HMD: Covert Gaze Manipulation and Privacy Risks in AR/MR Systems

Optical see-through AR/MR head-mounted displays (HMDs) have rapidly gained adoption across diverse domains but also introduce new security and privacy threats. As one such novel threat, we investigate Image Movement Attacks, in which visual elements on an HMD are subtly repositioned to covertly influence gaze and head orientation, potentially leading to privacy intrusion or manipulation of user awareness. This poster presents experimental validation through a user study. A user study with 22 participants using the Magic Leap 1 device showed that smooth visual movements often went unnoticed, posing significant risks for covert gaze manipulation. Our findings indicate that such covert image movements can alter gaze and head orientation, raising concerns that Image Movement Attacks in AR/MR HMDs could contribute to impactful attack chains or manipulate even everyday decisions. These results highlight the importance of developing countermeasures against Image Movement Attacks.