A routine software update by cybersecurity company CrowdStrike caused what is being described as the “largest IT outage in history” on July 19. CrowdStrike said the problem occurred when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows.
The outage grounded flights, knocked banks offline and media outlets off air. CrowdStrike said that the issue believed to be behind the outage was not a security incident or cyberattack.
As the disruptions caused by the outage were being reported, an image went viral appearing to show the Las Vegas Sphere with a “blue screen of death” projected on the entertainment venue’s surface. The “blue screen of death” – a blue screen with white text – is what a Microsoft Windows user sees when the system crashes.
“Microsoft Windows users right now. #crowdstrike #bsod,” an X post with more than 4 million views says. #bsod is short for “blue screen of death.”
“They got the vegas ball. It’s all over. We lost,” an X post with the Windows error message on the Sphere says. That post has more than 4 million views.
Reports from British tabloid The Daily Mail and The Express Tribune, a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan, also included images of the Sphere with the Microsoft error message.
The VERIFY team looked into whether this really happened.
THE QUESTION
Is this image of the Las Vegas Sphere projecting the “blue screen of death” real?
THE SOURCES
- A spokesperson with Sphere Entertainment
- TinEye, a reverse image search tool
- Visual comparison of other nighttime photos of the Sphere
THE ANSWER
No, this Las Vegas Sphere “blue screen of death” image isn’t real. It’s fake.
WHAT WE FOUND
In an email to VERIFY, a spokesperson with Sphere Entertainment confirmed the image appearing to show the Sphere with the Windows error message is not real.
VERIFY ran the image through TinEye, a reverse image search engine, and found this same exact image has appeared online since at least July 2023. That is evidence this couldn’t have been taken during the July 19 global tech outage.
We compared this viral image with authentic photos of the Sphere projecting other images and in each of those, the light from the orb doesn’t glow as brightly as what can be seen in the fake ”blue screen of death” image. That was another indicator the image was altered.
The VERIFY team works to separate fact from fiction so that you can understand what is true and false. Please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter, text alerts and our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Learn More »
