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The research involved adult participants with or enrolled in higher education studies, who participated in a virtual reality task that simulates a typical workday in a corporate setting. Participants were divided into three groups: a control group engaged in tasks without cybersecurity threats, and two experimental groups exposed to cybersecurity threats, but one with feedback on performance and the other without feedback. By comparing the control group with the experimental groups, the findings suggest that virtual reality is a promising tool for delivering immersive and ecologically valid cybersecurity training. The presence of performance feedback within these simulations was crucial for participants to better comprehend the complexities of cyber threats. Additionally, within the experimental groups, risky behaviors displayed during the virtual tasks, along with participants\u2019 age, emerged as predictors of their attitudes toward cybersecurity and cybercrime in organizational settings. In conclusion, by taking advantage of this cutting-edge virtual reality approach, individuals, businesses, and governments can foster more secure cybersecurity practices, contributing to a safer digital landscape for everyone.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s10055-025-01228-8","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,8]],"date-time":"2025-09-08T08:11:33Z","timestamp":1757319093000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Exploring a novel approach to cybersecurity: the role of ecological simulations on cybersecurity risk behaviors"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"29","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7697-4758","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tiago","family":"Abril","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0585-8447","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro","family":"Gamito","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8421-2956","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carolina","family":"da Motta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3467-4981","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jorge","family":"Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9626-5286","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"F\u00e1bio","family":"Dias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0527-4655","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Filipe","family":"Pinto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8176-3100","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Miguel","family":"Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"1228_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3369457.3369515","author":"S Adinolf","year":"2019","unstructured":"Adinolf S, Wyeth P, Brown R et al (2019) Towards designing agent based virtual reality applications for cybersecurity training. 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