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Courtesy Guo O Dong and Deep Instinct / “The Persistence of Chaos”
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For “The Persistence of Chaos,” performance artist Guo O Dong has loaded a 10-year-old Samsung NC10 laptop with six of the most destructive malware threats in the history of the internet, and the piece has now sold at auction for $1.345 million.

According to Forbes, the malware in question, WannaCry, BlackEnergy, ILOVEYOU, MyDoom, SoBig, and DarkTequila, has caused nearly $100 billion in related damages around the world. Artnet reports that the project cost more than $10,000 to realize.”

Guo told Vice, “These pieces of software seem so abstract, almost fake with their funny, spooky names, but I think they emphasize that the web and IRL are not different spaces.” He added, “Malware is one of the most tangible ways that the internet can jump out of your monitor and bite you.”

The laptop has been isolated and air-gapped to prevent the spread of the destructive malware, and now the auction is over, all of the computer’s ports will be disabled. The artist worked with cyber-security company Deep Instinct to ensure the viruses won't be able to spread and wreak havoc.

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