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Virus packed laptop sells as artwork for over 1.3 million

Virus-packed laptop sells as artwork for over $1.3 million

WASHINGTON: For Chinese artist Guo O Dong, the simple black Samsung laptop computer, loaded with six potent viruses, symbolizes one of the world’s most frightening threats.

On Tuesday his creation “The Persistence of Chaos” rocked the art world, selling for more than $1.3 million in a New York online auction.

There’s nothing special about the 2008 10-inch Netbook, running Microsoft’s now-outdated Windows XP.

But loaded onto its memory chips are the computing world’s equivalents of the most deadly infectious diseases: “I LOVE YOU” from 2000, “Sobig” of 2003, “MyDoom” (2004), “DarkTequila” (2013), “BlackEnergy” (2015), and the most notorious of all, the “WannaCry” ransomware from two years ago.

It is a powerful symbol of the threat on simple laptop can pose to the entire world. The six trojans, worms and malware loaded on it have caused at least $95 billion in damage around the world, according to Guo.

Guo is an internet artist “whose work critiques modern day extremely online culture,” the auction site, organized by cybersecurity group Deep Instinct, said.

The computer, viewed via an online video stream, is harmless in its auction state — turned on, but not connected to any network or the internet.

The auction site says it is “airgapped” — its wireless and internet connections physically and electronically plugged.

But it comes with ominous warning to the buyer not to unleash its pathogenic programs — possible by unplugging its connection hardware, or by simply inserting a thumb drive.

The site stresses that the artwork is for research use only, saying that anyone who submitted a bid contractually agreed that they “have no intention of disseminating any malware.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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M M Alam

M. M. Alam is a Pakistan-based working journalist since 1981. Karachi University faculty gold medalist Alam began his career four decades ago by writing for Dawn, Pakistan’s highest circulating English daily. He has worked for region’s leading publications, global aviation periodicals including Rotors (of USA) and vetted New York Times as permanent employee of daily Express Tribune. Alam regularly covers international aviation and defense-related events including Salon Du Bourget (France), Farnborough (United Kingdom), Dubai (UAE). Alam has reported thousands of events and interviewed hundreds of people in Pakistan, UAE, EU, UK and USA. Being Francophone Alam also coordinates with a number of French publications.