After it’s release 24 years ago, back on December 2nd, 1991, vulnerabilities in Apple’s Quicktime program have caught the attention of the U. S. Government.
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security stepped up to warn consumers to immediately uninstall and remove Apple’s Quicktime program from their Windows PCs after two new bugs were found in the software. Www.Office.com/setup
Trend Micro, an IT security firm, said that Apple was no longer issuing security updates for Quicktime for Windows, despite the presence of the bugs. Trend Micro said the bugs could be used to launch attacks on PCs if users visit a compromised web page or open tainted files. As of last week, the said that they not aware of any cases where the bugs had been exploited by hackers. Www.Webroot.com/safe
The warning does not apply to Quicktime or Quicktime X on Apple computers.
DHS’s United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) put out the following solution: “Computers running QuickTime for Windows will continue to work after support ends. However, using unsupported software may increase the risks from viruses and other security threats. Potential negative consequences include loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability of data, as well as damage to system resources or business assets. The only mitigation available is to uninstall QuickTime for Windows.” Www.Avg.com/retail
There has been no public comment from Apple on the situation, though the company has posted instructions for uninstalling Quicktime for Windows on its website. Www.Mcafee.com/activate
Tech Assistance Blog 