You could accuse Microsoft of a lot over the years, but it's never powered North Korea's nuclear missile programme. Unless, that is, you read 21st Century Business, a Chinese publication that fell for a spoof article by New Yorker gag merchant Andy Borowitz.
Borowitz's article claimed a North Korean missile test had been scrapped because of a glitch in Windows 8, the operating system it runs on. 21st Century Business took it as gospel, and ran a news piece on it, our sister site CNET News reports. Whoops. The 21st Century Business article has since been deleted.
"Intelligence analysts said that the announcement gave rare insight into the inner workings of North Korea's missile programme, which until last year had been running on Windows 95," Borowitz's spoof reads.
"The announcement from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) did not indicate a new scheduled time for a missile test, saying only that it was 'working with Windows 8 support to resolve the issue.'
"In the words of one intelligence analyst, 'This means that the test has been delayed indefinitely.'
"A source close to the North Korean regime reported that Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un is furious about the Windows 8 problems and is considering a number of options, including declaring war on Microsoft."
For a satirist, having your work mistaken for the real thing must be the highest form of praise.
Windows 8 has had its fair share of troubles, with everyone and his dog blaming it for the downturn in global PC sales, but this is one step beyond.
What do you think of Windows 8? Is it the reason PC sales are falling, or are there are other factors to consider? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
Image credit: Rodong.Rep.KP