Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that overlays digital information onto the physical world through devices such as headsets, tablets, or smart glasses. In cyber security, AR matters because it is not just a display layer: it can also collect camera views, location data, voice, telemetry, and 3D environmental maps. That makes AR a data pipeline with multiple trust boundaries, not a single gadget to secure.
In real environments, AR can help defenders by improving maintenance guidance, remote support, and situational awareness. It can also create new attack paths if an attacker tampers with overlays, steals captured visuals, or abuses shared data to learn plant layouts, credentials, or trade secrets. Security controls should focus on data classification, least-privilege access, retention limits, audit logging, and vendor integration review. In short, AR improves visibility for operators, but it can widen the attack surface unless every data stream is tightly governed.