STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. Its creator says it is art - a laptop loaded with infamous malware. The artwork is called "The Persistence Of Chaos." Viruses like WannaCry and MyDoom are in that computer - famous ransomware that locks computers and demands payment. Somebody paid $1.345 million at auction for that laptop. Advice to the buyer - do not log in to check your email; the computer's already cost you more than a million bucks. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.