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This is what some the world’s largest banks of malware look like stacked as hard drives
Malware research group vx-underground, which says it has the largest collection of malware source code, said in a post on X that its archive of data amounts to about 30 terabytes.
A reply by Bernardo Quintero, founder of VirusTotal, an online service that scans files for malware across multiple antivirus engines at once, said his service has about 31 petabytes of malware samples that users have contributed to date. (A petabyte is ~1,000-times larger than a terabyte.)
In both cases, that’s a lot of data. For context, cybersecurity companies, AI researchers, and threat intelligence firms treat repositories like these as critical for training detection models and understanding how attacks evolve. But this had us wondering: What would these enormous datasets actually look like stacked as hard drives one on top of the other and side-by-side? And how would they compare to, say, the Eiffel Tower?
Someone in our newsroom asked an AI chatbot this question, and it got it incredibly wrong.
Instead, we did some rough back-of-a-napkin math to figure out how tall these data banks would be. Since vx-underground and VirusTotal both have “about” that much data each, “about” is good enough for us in this case.
Let’s say we’re using 1 terabyte capacity internal hard drives, since these are generally designed to be the same physical size to fit inside any computer. These standardized 3.5-inch internal hard drives are 1 inch in height, which for the sake of stacking one on top of the other is really what we want to know here.
We’re also assuming that the hard drives we’re using in this example are exactly 1 terabyte, because in reality the total usable file capacity of a hard drive is generally somewhat less.
Using this online conversion tool, it looks like vx-underground’s 30 terabytes of malware data could fill 30 hard drives stacked on top of one another, reaching 30 inches, or about 2.5 feet tall.
For reference, this reporter is 6 feet tall. (See visual below, and yes, terrible opsec, I know.)
With that same logic, VirusTotal’s 31 petabytes of submitted data would fill 31,744 hard drives, which stacked on top of another would reach about 2,645 feet.
The world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, is slightly taller at 2,722 feet.
The Eiffel Tower is 1,083 feet tall. By that logic, VirusTotal has about two-and-a-half Eiffel Towers’ worth of data.
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The general-secretary of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr Mohammed Sanusi has disclosed that egg heads and technical buffs of the governing body are working hard towards brining an A-license coaching course back to the country.
Sports247 reports that Sanusi made the disclosure while speaking at the ongoing Confederation of African Football (CAF) B-license coaches refresher course in Abuja, which he said became imperative to upgrade the country’s tacticians.
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While revealing that the coaching course is running alongside a similar training programme for referees in the country, Sanusi, who is one of the instructors, affirmed that the dual-programme will bring huge benefits for participants.
Sanusi, who spoke on behalf of NFF president, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, at the opening ceremony of the six-day course in Abuja on Monday, further disclosed that specialized paths have been introduced in building of capacity in the sector.
He specifically mentioned programmes in the areas of young talent, beach soccer and FIFA elite referees that were organized earlier this month, then disclosed that Nigeria has been admitted back into the CAF A-License Coaching Convention.
The NFF scribe described this development as a significant step for Nigerian coaches and urged them to diligently build their capacity towards the highest level possible in the game, then urged participants to show total commitment to excel.
“The technical department is now working assiduously towards resuming the CAF A-License course in Nigeria in August, for the first time in nine years. We have a total of 50 participants for the refresher course, but only 25 will be admitted.
“We will set very high standards and only the best will cross the hurdle. That does not mean we are going to close the door for others. Immediately we are done with this CAF A-course starting in August, we will apply for another one at that level.”
Sanusi also revealed that Gusau, who is also the president of West African Football Union (WAFU) zone-B, has approved a vehicle to move Video Assistant Referee (VAR) training equipment into Nigeria to upgrade match arbiters in the country.
The Muslim Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria, Kaduna branch, has condemned the mob killing of a woman at the Maraban Jos area of Kaduna. The association described the incident as barbaric and a serious threat to the rule of law.
This was disclosed in a statement on Tuesday in Kaduna, signed by its chairman, Awwal Shittu, and secretary, Ibrahim Bawa.
MULAN expressed shock and sadness over reports of the attack, murder, and burning of the woman following allegations of child theft. It described the act as jungle justice and maintained that no allegation of criminal conduct justifies extrajudicial punishment.
The association stated that the killing violated the victim’s fundamental right to life as guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution.
It said the circumstances surrounding the incident, particularly reports that the victim was removed from police custody before being killed, raised serious concerns about security procedures and the protection of persons in lawful custody.
According to MULAN, if confirmed, the development points to possible lapses that require urgent and transparent investigation.
“The duty of law enforcement agencies is to protect lives, maintain law and order, and ensure that suspects are subjected only to lawful investigation and prosecution. No person in police custody should be surrendered, directly or indirectly, to mob violence,” the association stated.
MULAN called for an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the killing and the surrounding circumstances. It also demanded the identification, arrest, and prosecution of all persons involved in carrying out, encouraging, or facilitating the mob action.
The association further urged authorities to investigate the conduct of the security personnel responsible for the deceased’s custody and protection and to apply disciplinary or legal sanctions where necessary.
While commending the police for arrests already made and its commitment to prosecuting those responsible, MULAN stressed that justice must be impartial and extend beyond those physically present at the scene.
The association said investigations should also examine possible acts of negligence, complicity, or omission that may have contributed to the incident.
It pledged to monitor the investigation and prosecution process and reaffirmed its commitment to promoting human rights, accountability, and the sanctity of life through lawful means.
MULAN reiterated that under Nigerian law, every suspect remains innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. The association warned that mob justice undermines public confidence in lawful institutions and threatens social order.
It also extended condolences to the deceased’s family and prayed for peace, justice, and greater respect for the rule of law.
The incident has attracted reactions from stakeholders following the barbaric act.
The police command in Kaduna condemned the mob action and announced the arrest of suspects in connection with the incident, saying that investigations continue.
(NAN)
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