This is like a mindmap of the internet on a global scale. An anonymous researcher created a low level bot, hacking into the computers of almost half a million linux users across the globe, monitoring their internet usage.
As reported in this super cool Vice article, this kind of research is actually highly illegal. If the researcher was to be found, charged and prosecuted, a mass hacking of this scale could result in 50 consecutive life sentences. Basically, he or she would be imprisoned for life.
But it was surely worth it for the above life changing GIF!
Read the full story of how this whole image was created over at Vice. It’s a brilliant read.
This Is the Most Detailed Picture of the Internet Ever (and Making it Was Very Illegal) [Vice]
Comments
7 responses to “This Amazing GIF Is The End Result Of Some Cool (Also Illegal) Internet Surveillance”
Hey look I can see my compu— Ah crap.
Actually it’s really not the most detailed picture ever, what of say Symantec global threat centre or cyber task forces or network admin’s etc. There are companies that monitor far more than 420,000 linux-only infected PC’s. It’s cool but subjective hyperbole at best.
Further it’s linux-only based and not covering devices, multiplatforms, TV access, console access etc. It also doesn’t cover closed systems, Internet2, routing traffic etc.
Do the colors represent anything? It’s amazing when you see how much of the world really is connected these days.
I assumed red meant active and blue meant inactive as the day night slider went over.
Red = 2x avg
Green = avg
Blue = 2x below avg/normal
(Source: Key in Bottom Left)
The *colours* represent activity….. red for high activity, blue for low, and everything in between. You can see as the day progresses activity increases in a region, then decreases at night.
Also, Portugal/Spain and Italy have an incredibly high number of [infected] linux systems. Either they have a high proportion of linux users, or they have a high proportion of people who know nothing about security…..
New Zealand looks to be beating the Aussies in this one… O_o
This really show you that the internet does not really connect all of humanity: Russia and Africa are woefully underrepresented given the populations of those regions. We (being humanity) still have lots of work to do!