A malware infection on a laptop can be troublesome or devastating: But is it art? Yes, according to artist Guo O Dong. The Persistence of Chaos, an art installation currently being auctioned (with a high bid, as of press time, of more than $763,000), features a laptop computer infected with a half-dozen pieces of malware: ILoveYou, MyDoom, SoBig, WannaCry, DarkTequila, and BlackEnergy.

According to the website for the piece, the malware included is responsible for at least $95 billion worth of damage worldwide. The intent of the piece, according to Dong, is to "…see how the world responds to and values the impact of malware."

The installation features a Samsung laptop running Windows XP. The machine is physically isolated and air-gapped so that there is no risk of the malware being spread outside the installation to the Internet as a whole, according to security firm Deep Instinct, the firm assisting the artist with the installation.

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