Extended Reality-Aware Wireless Communication Networks: A Systematic Literature Review
Esraa M. Ghourab, Mohamed Azab, Denis Gračanin, Omar Alhussein, Mahmoud Al‐Qutayri, Sami Muhaidat
Abstract
Extended Reality (XR), encompassing virtual, augmented, and mixed reality systems, rapidly evolves across gaming, education, healthcare, and industry, with increasing reliance on wireless communications. However, the immersive and continuous sensing nature of XR introduces unique security and privacy challenges that remain underexplored. This paper presents a comprehensive systematic literature review (SLR) of 78 peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2024, focusing on XR security within wireless environments. This thorough review analyzes multiple electronic databases, including Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, and ACM, motivated by the need to address the integration of XR into wireless communications and its unique technical and performance challenges. We categorize threats, vulnerabilities, and limitations; highlight gaps in current encryption and authentication schemes; and emphasize growing privacy risks from biometric and spatial data. A detailed taxonomy of XR-specific attack models and a multi-dimensional mapping of XR security challenges are presented. Additionally, the paper generalizes the proposed taxonomy along a reality-virtuality continuum, offering insights into how various degrees of virtual and real experiences can coexist within wireless networks. Furthermore, we propose a research agenda addressing open issues, including real-world deployment constraints, context-aware zero-trust architectures, and privacy-preserving edge intelligence. Our review reveals an urgent need for lightweight, scalable, and standardized security solutions tailored to immersive XR systems.