Modern art, right?
Normally, the last thing you’d want on a laptop (or any computer, really) would be malware. But one laptop filled with the stuff just sold at auction for $1.3 million because is had several malware programs on it. As a matter of fact, it had six malware infections, to be precise, deliberately placed upon it to turn it into an art piece.
The laptop is now considered an art piece titled “The Persistence of Chaos“. The piece was commissioned by cybersecurity firm Deep Instinct, and put together by internet artist Guo O Dong. It is comprised of a 10.2-inch Samsung NC10-14GB laptop of 2008 vintage running Windows XP and six specific malware programs. And yes, it’s been air gapped to keep them from spreading again. The malware installed is as follows:
- BlackEnergy
- DarkTequila
- ILOVEYOU
- MyDoom
- SoBig
- WannaCry
While the laptop still contains malware considered dangerous, its contents are more a matter of the history of cybersecurity. Not to mention the fact that the game has been upped considerably since their heyday. Honestly, the only thing it’s missing is probably Bonzi Buddy.
The final bid on the piece was made on Monday, with the winner agreeing to pay $1.345 million for it. Which, you know, isn’t bad for a Windows XP laptop that went for $500 back in 2008. Kind of an impressive return on investment, really.
Source: PC Mag
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