The artwork titled The Persistence of Chaos was a joint project between artist Guo O Dong and cyber-security company Deep Instinct.

An anonymous bidder bought the 11-year-old Samsung notebook containing the malware.

Under the terms of the auction, the buyer has 24 hours to provide follow-up information regarding payment.

Among the malware loaded on the PC was the infamous ILOVEYOU virus from 2000, which infected computers at the Houses of Parliament, as well as other institutions.

Also included was the WannaCry ransomware that struck organisations around the world in 2017.

The NHS faced £92m in costs after WannaCry spread through its systems.

"Malware is one of the most tangible ways that the internet can jump out of your monitor and bite you," Guo O Dong told tech news site Motherboard.

Because the sale of malware is restricted in the US, whoever purchases the laptop will receive it only once its ports and internet capabilities have been "functionally disabled", according to the auction web page.