U.S. Department of Homeland Security Warns Windows Users to Uninstall QuickTime ASAP

Microsoft Patches Critical Security Flaw That Affects Every Supported Version of Windows
Text Size
- +

Toggle Dark Mode

From time to time, Apple decides to stop issuing updates for a particular software application — or, in extreme cases, completely sweep the project under the rug in its entirety. And so it seems to be the case with the company’s popular QuickTime application, though only for users of Windows PCs.

That’s right, Apple has decided to officially abandon issuing updates for its QuickTime app on Windows PC — and no, unfortunately, it won’t be patching any of the issues that have for long plagued the software either.

Quicktime Logo

As a matter of fact, the issues concerning QuickTime for Windows are so dire, and so severe, at this point, that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — in collaboration with leading cyber security firm, Trend Micro — have advised Windows users to go in and completely uninstall the app from their hard drives, almost immediately after the firm discovered two brand-new cyber security threats in the neglected software last week.

In a blog post published just last Thursday, experts at Trend Micro indicated that Apple — even despite the presence of the newly discovered threats — was no longer planning to issue updates to the software for Windows PCs, or even rectify the pre-existing issues.

Additionally, Trend Micro indicated that, although it had yet to discover any open cases in which the security flaws were being actively exploited by hackers, the bugs (if they find their way into the wrong hands) could ultimately be used to launch hard-hitting attacks on PCs — especially if users were to, say, visit a compromised webpage, or even open an infected file folder.

In a similar warning issued on Thursday, The Department of Homeland Security’s ‘Computer Emergency Readiness Team’ (DHS-CERT), indicated that Windows users who did not act as expediently as possible to uninstall QuickTime from their hard-drive are vulnerable to contracting viruses and are prone to similar threats as a result of the new security flaws.

And CERT’s alert didn’t mince words when it said, “The only mitigation available is to uninstall QuickTime for Windows.”

As of Monday morning, Apple has not reached out to users with additional comments on the situation. However, for its part, the Silicon Valley tech-giant did provide detailed instructions on how to go about uninstalling QuickTime 7 on Windows.

How to Uninstall QuickTime on a Windows Computer

  • Click the Start button
  • Click Control Panel
  • Click Programs
  • Then click Programs and Features
  • Finally select QuickTime, and then click Uninstall.

We don’t know much about the intricate, bits-and-pieces details concerning the newly discovered flaws, of course. But it’s pretty clear to us that, since Apple has jumped ship on QuickTime for Windows and PC users should probably follow suit.

Learn More: Text Message Scams Targeting iPhone Users on the Rise

When was the last time you used QuickTime? Let us know in the comments below.

Sponsored
Social Sharing