Do you have $1.2 million to burn and like living life on the edge? Then perhaps you might be interested in purchasing “The Persistence of Chaos.” It’s a piece of art created by internet artist Guo O Dong. It’s not a painting or a sculpture. It’s a laptop that’s filled with six of the world’s most dangerous computer viruses. Six of the most dangerous malware pieces live in this laptop and yet users will be completely safe from then, provided that they don’t connect The Persistence of Chaos to Wi-Fi or plug in a flash drive.
The computer has to remain air gapped to ensure that the malware doesn’t spread to other PCs. The artist tells The Verge that the intention behind this piece of art was to give a physical representation to the threats that are posed by the digital world.
“Weaponized viruses that affect power grids or public infrastructure can cause direct harm,” Guo said, pointing out that most people have a fantasy that things which happen in computers can’t affect us in a physical form. The 10.2 inch Samsung laptop plays host to these six viruses which were chosen for the level of economic damage that they have caused.
The list includes the ILOVEYOU virus from the early 2000s which manifested as a love letter attached to emails. Also, included is the WannaCry ransomware which locks down the machine and doesn’t allow access until a ransom was paid. Intelligence agencies believe that North Korea was behind this ransomware attack. DeepInstinct, a cybersecurity firm, commissioned this piece and is auctioning it off. The current bid is just over $1.2 million.
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