A laptop infected with 6 of the most dangerous viruses in history has just been sold for $ 1.3 million

You would not normally want to look for a computer on which viruses have been installed, but that's exactly what a $ 1,345 million auction has just won: acquiring a laptop stuffed with the deadliest malware of our time in exchange for his money.

The buyer remains anonymous but we know a lot more about the laptop, which is actually part of an artistic project of the Chinese digital artist Guo O Dong. The room is calling The persistence of chaos.

Dong collaborated with the cybersecurity firm Deep Instinct to charge his laptop with his dangerous code. Its space is apparently isolated, which means that it has security measures preventing it from connecting to other networks in order to prevent it from further spreading its malicious programs.

The laptop is part of an art installation broadcast on the web. (Guo O Dong)

"These softwares seem so abstract, almost fake with their funny and spooky names, but I think they point out that the Web and IRL [in real life] are not different spaces, "Guo told Rob Dozier of the motherboard.

"Malware is one of the most practical ways for the Internet to get out of your monitor and bite you."

So what are the viruses that the successful bidder found so valuable? You may remember, although we hope you have avoided becoming a victim.

The oldest malware is email worms – messages with dangerous attachments. When they are executed, these attachments can damage local files, open a computer to hackers and, of course, be followed by other unsuspecting users.

ILOVEYOU, from 2000, is a particularly damaging worm attached to an email with a subject header "ILOVEYOU". When executed, it deleted local files and would have caused damage worth billions of dollars before being stopped.

As of 2003, Sobig was even bigger than ILOVEYOU. It became the fastest-spreading virus in the world for a while and opened the back door to computers that could be used by hackers.

Then there is Mydoom, from 2004, who eclipsed ILOVEYOU and Sobig. It remains the most widely used email worm to date, aimed at making computers vulnerable to remote access and targeting specific servers online.

The next piece of malware loaded on the Persistence of chaos is BlackEnergy from 2007, not an email worm, but a cyber attack tool that can destroy computers, servers and other remote infrastructure.

Then there is DarkTequila, active since 2013, mainly in the Latin American countries. Its main purpose is to steal financial information and personal login information from unsuspecting users.

Finally, WannaCry, the famous ransomware package appeared in 2017, is also available on laptop. Like other ransomware software, WannaCry requires users to pay to prevent their files from being erased.

A pretty dishonest virus gallery, all loaded on a 10.2-inch Samsung Windows XP laptop, and now worth more than a million dollars.

For the moment at least, the laptop can still be viewed online via a live stream. In the end, its creator wants the latter to testify to the dangers of the Web … and the monsters it can produce.

Unfortunately, nothing seems to indicate that our computers and networks are becoming safer in the near future. Guo could perhaps update his artistic installation with a new set of threats in a few years.

If you want to know how to minimize the risk of getting hit, we have some tips for you.

"We have this fantasy that computer events can not affect us, but it's nonsense," Guo told James Vincent to The Verge newspaper. "Transmitted viruses that affect power grids or public infrastructure can cause direct harm."