The malware research group vx-underground, claiming to have the largest collection of malware source code, reported in a post on X that its data archive is approximately 30 terabytes. Bernardo Quintero, founder of VirusTotal, an online service for scanning files for malware using various antivirus engines, responded that VirusTotal holds about 31 petabytes of contributed malware samples. For comparison, a petabyte is roughly 1,000 times the size of a terabyte.
These repositories are crucial for cybersecurity firms, AI researchers, and threat intelligence companies to train detection models and analyze evolving threats. Curiosity arose about visualizing these vast data amounts as stacked hard drives, comparing their size to structures like the Eiffel Tower.
An AI chatbot was asked this question but provided incorrect results. Instead, some quick calculations were made. Using 1-terabyte capacity internal hard drives of standardized 3.5-inch size, each being 1 inch in height, vx-underground’s 30 terabytes would be 30 inches, or about 2.5 feet tall. For comparison, the author stands at 6 feet.
VirusTotal’s 31 petabytes would require 31,744 hard drives, stacking up to approximately 2,645 feet. The Burj Khalifa, the tallest building globally, measures slightly higher at 2,722 feet. Meanwhile, the Eiffel Tower stands at 1,083 feet, making VirusTotal’s data equivalent to two and a half Eiffel Towers.
*Image Credits: Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch*
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