Bidding on a laptop packed with some of the world’s most dangerous malware closed at $1.345 million on Tuesday. The laptop is running 6 viruses that have caused financial damages totaling $95 billion.
Dubbed ‘The Persistence of Chaos,’ the Samsung NC10 was created by artist Guo O Dong. He told The Verge that the “artwork” was not meant to be a tool for any world domination scheme but a way to give abstract cyber threats physical form. It’s intended strictly as an art piece though it could be used for academic purposes, he said.
“We have this fantasy that things that happen in computers can’t actually affect us, but this is absurd,” Guo said, adding: “Weaponized viruses, that affect power grids or public infrastructure, can cause direct harm.”
© Global Look Press / Michael Weber
The 11-year-old laptop contains six viruses on its local hard drive, such as WannaCry, which infected more than 200,000 computers across 150 countries and caused nearly $4 billion in damages.
“WannaCry… caused the [UK’s National Health Service] the equivalent of $100 million in damages and led to the cancellation of tens of thousands of doctors’ appointments,” said Guo. “It is not a leap to say this caused significant human harm, though it might be hard to pinpoint the effects exactly down to the patient.”
Other viruses are BlackEnergy, ILOVEYOU, MyDoom, SoBig and DarkTequila. While all of them could still cause harm, they are outdated in the sense that new forms of ransomware are already at work.
The terms of the auction dictated that the winning bidder should have no intention of disseminating the malware. The laptop’s internet capabilities and available ports will be disabled before it is shipped.
Original: https://www.rt.com/business/460435-most-dangerous-computer-auction/
So basically a guy used a very old laptop to copy some nasty computer viruses on it and sell that garbage for over million US dollar? And then he called that art?
The only art in this is creating enormous value out of thin air. In my country we call that as "selling fog".
I don't think rich people are stupid. This is either money laundering or returning a favor. If I would make a laptop like that I couldn't sell it for any money.
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I'll bet there is something on that computer they aren't telling us. Purchased by an undisclosed buyer from an undisclosed location. Maybe the keys to "stolen" BTC keys perhaps? Like a painting with bearer bonds hidden behind the canvas? LOL..
"The laptop’s internet capabilities and available ports will be disabled before it is shipped." Right; as if the hard drive can not be installed in another machine or have it's content copied.
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Yeah. That's the stupidest part I forgot to comment. There are tens of ways to bypass disabled ports.
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The art industry is actually experiencing a bubble right now so I tend to believe that claims like this are either true or could be true.
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Modern art is in the bubble since it's modern art.
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Probably. Better collect modern new viruses.
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I plan to create my own malware and put in on auction...
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