Painting the Internet: A Different Kind of Warhol Worm
Date
2006-05-24
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Abstract
Some people have argued that software is artistic. If so, what about
malware? Only occasional, small-scale attempts have been made to create art
using malware. We present art worms, worms which allow an artist to use the
entire Internet as a canvas. These worms could be interactive, allowing an
artist to stage a global performance, or non-interactive and automatic.
Examples are given of artworks that could result from these worms. Art worms
raise a variety of questions about the very nature of art: what constitutes
art? must art be seen in order to exist? should art be destroyed? Two major
technical aspects of art worms are communication and geolocation. Both aspects
ensure that art worms behave correctly to create an overall picture. We look
at a number of ways that malware can perform these tasks, which have broader
applications to malware targeted at specific countries for the purposes of
terrorism or information warfare.
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Computer Science