The US government is saying PC users to uninstall Quicktime from their windows computers, over fears that weaknesses in the software could leave them vulnerable to cyber-criminals.
As discovered by security firm Trend Micro, Apple, which develops Quicktime, is ending its support for the Windows version of the software.
This means it will no longer be issuing security updates, making it easier for hackers to use the software as a way into their targets' computers. The firm's experts also identified two "critical vulnerabilities" affecting the software, which could provide a window for hackers to launch cyberattacks against users.
Trend Micro's warning was echoed by the US Department of Homeland Security's Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), which said users who still have Quicktime for Windows running on their machines could now be vulnerable to "loss of confidentiality, integrity or availability of data," as well as facing increased risks from viruses and other security threats.
US-CERT also warned exploitations of these weaknesses "could allow remote attackers to take control of affected systems."
The only solution to the problem, it says, is to uninstall Quicktime for Windows from the Control Panel.
It's important to note that this issue does not apply to versions of Quicktime for Apple computers. Apple did not provide a comment on the matter when contacted by Reuters.
As discovered by security firm Trend Micro, Apple, which develops Quicktime, is ending its support for the Windows version of the software.
This means it will no longer be issuing security updates, making it easier for hackers to use the software as a way into their targets' computers. The firm's experts also identified two "critical vulnerabilities" affecting the software, which could provide a window for hackers to launch cyberattacks against users.
Trend Micro's warning was echoed by the US Department of Homeland Security's Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), which said users who still have Quicktime for Windows running on their machines could now be vulnerable to "loss of confidentiality, integrity or availability of data," as well as facing increased risks from viruses and other security threats.
US-CERT also warned exploitations of these weaknesses "could allow remote attackers to take control of affected systems."
The only solution to the problem, it says, is to uninstall Quicktime for Windows from the Control Panel.
It's important to note that this issue does not apply to versions of Quicktime for Apple computers. Apple did not provide a comment on the matter when contacted by Reuters.
