Method and system for exploiting interactions via a virtual environment

Abstract

A method on a computer readable storage medium operable to store a virtual representation of a plurality of physical components, introduce a component having a predefined functionality to interact with the virtual representation and generate indications of a response of the virtual representation to the interactions of the component. A system having a memory configured to store a virtual representation of a plurality of physical components and a processor configured to introduce a component having a predefined functionality to interact with the virtual representation and generate indications of a response of the virtual representation to the interactions of the component.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 introducing an object into a virtual environment having a predefined functionality to interact with the virtual environment, wherein the object is an avatar that continuously assesses a first type of vulnerability associated with the virtual environment, wherein the avatar remains active to continuously assess the first type of vulnerability, wherein the virtual environment includes a virtual representation of a plurality of physical components, wherein a real world environment comprises the plurality of physical components, wherein the plurality of physical components comprises a physical video display, wherein the virtual representation of the plurality of physical components comprises a virtual video display; and   allowing a user to exert control over the plurality of physical components in the real world environment using the virtual environment, the control comprising selection by the user of a selected video signal from among a plurality of video signals and the control further comprising causing presentation of the selected video signal on the physical video display along with a corresponding presentation of the selected video signal on the virtual video display.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 introducing a further object into the virtual environment having a further predefined functionality to interact with the virtual environment, wherein the further object is a further avatar that continuously assesses a second type of vulnerability associated with the virtual environment.   
     
     
         3 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the first type of vulnerability corresponds to an IP packet and wherein the avatar is an IP packet avatar that interacts with each virtual representation of the plurality of physical components, wherein prior to interacting with each virtual representation of the plurality of physical components the IP packet avatar alters a configuration of the IP packet avatar into a type of configuration that allows the IP packet avatar to be processed by each virtual representation of the plurality of physical components without being prohibited by a security measure when the IP packet avatar interacts with each virtual representation of the plurality of physical components. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 3 , wherein the type of configuration corresponds to an IP protocol stack of the virtual representation of the plurality of physical components. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 configuring, for display, data that corresponds to the first type of vulnerability associated with the virtual environment.   
     
     
         6 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the first type of vulnerability corresponds to proprietary information and the avatar is a social engineering avatar that provides a series of questions to a further avatar that are formulated to obtain the proprietary information. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the first type of vulnerability corresponds to discontinuities within the virtual environment and wherein the avatar is a discontinuity avatar that interacts with an entirety of the virtual environment, excluding any further avatars within the virtual environment, to determine any discontinuities within the virtual environment, wherein the discontinuities include an occurrence of an unexpected response by the virtual environment. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the avatar is a self-developing avatar that interacts with an entirety of the virtual environment and any further avatars within the virtual environment and wherein the self-developing avatar determines a procedure to exploit the first type of vulnerability associated with the virtual environment based on interactions of the self-developing avatar. 
     
     
         9 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 determining a countermeasure that mitigates the first type of vulnerability within the virtual environment; and   executing the countermeasure.   
     
     
         10 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 configuring, for display, a type of a countermeasure that was executed and data associated with a procedure that corresponds to the countermeasure.   
     
     
         11 . A system, comprising:
 a processing system including a processor; and   a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
 introducing an object into a virtual environment, the object having a predefined functionality to interact with the virtual environment comprising a virtual representation of a plurality of physical components, wherein the object is an avatar that continuously assesses a first type of vulnerability associated with the virtual environment, wherein the avatar remains active to continuously assess the first type of vulnerability, wherein a real world environment comprises the plurality of physical components, wherein the plurality of physical components comprises a physical display, wherein the virtual representation of the plurality of physical components comprises a virtual display, and wherein the virtual representation includes a replication of a physical layout of each of the plurality of physical components relative to one another in the real world environment; and 
 allowing a user to exert control over the plurality of physical components in the real world environment using the virtual environment, the control comprising selection by the user of a selected video signal from among a plurality of video signals and the control further comprising causing presentation of the selected video signal on the physical display along with a corresponding presentation of the selected video signal on the virtual display. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 introducing a further object into the virtual environment having a further predefined functionality to interact with the virtual environment, wherein the further object is a further avatar that continuously assesses a second type of vulnerability associated with the virtual environment.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the first type of vulnerability corresponds to an IP packet and wherein the avatar is an IP packet avatar that interacts with each virtual representation of the plurality of physical components, wherein prior to interacting with each virtual representation of the plurality of physical components the IP packet avatar alters a configuration of the IP packet avatar into a type of configuration that allows the IP packet avatar to be processed by each virtual representation of the plurality of physical components without being prohibited by a security measure when the IP packet avatar interacts with each virtual representation of the plurality of physical components. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the first type of vulnerability corresponds to proprietary information and the avatar is a social engineering avatar that provides a series of questions to a further avatar that are formulated to obtain the proprietary information. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the first type of vulnerability corresponds to discontinuities within the virtual environment and wherein the avatar is a discontinuity avatar that interacts with an entirety of the virtual environment, excluding any further avatars within the virtual environment, to determine any discontinuities within the virtual environment, wherein the discontinuities include an occurrence of an unexpected response by the virtual environment. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the avatar is a self-developing avatar that interacts with an entirety of the virtual environment and any further avatars within the virtual environment and wherein the self-developing avatar determines a procedure to exploit the first type of vulnerability associated with the virtual environment based on interactions of the self-developing avatar. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 determining a countermeasure that mitigates the first type of vulnerability within the virtual environment; and   executing the countermeasure.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the avatar is a network routing avatar that determines an alternate routing table for the plurality of physical components in the real world environment based on processing, in the virtual environment, a plurality of network routing scenarios that correspond to a plurality of network loads. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the avatar operates continuously throughout execution of the virtual environment. 
     
     
         20 . A method, comprising:
 introducing, by a processing system including a processor, an object into a virtual environment having a predefined functionality to interact with the virtual environment, wherein the object is an avatar that continuously assesses a first type of vulnerability associated with the virtual environment, wherein the avatar remains active to continuously assess the first type of vulnerability, wherein the virtual environment a virtual representation of a plurality of physical components, wherein a real world environment comprises the plurality of physical components, wherein the plurality of physical components comprises a physical display, wherein the virtual representation of the plurality of physical components comprises a virtual display; and   allowing, by the processing system, a user to exert control over the plurality of physical components in the real world environment using the virtual environment, the control comprising selection by the user of a selected video stream from among a plurality of video streams and the control further comprising causing presentation of the selected video stream on the physical display along with a corresponding presentation of the selected video stream on the virtual display.