Security Company & US Government: Remove QuickTime for Windows

Users should uninstall QuickTime for Windows from their Windows PC. That’s what security company Trend Micro and the US government say. Apple has discontinued support, leaving newly discovered vulnerabilities in the system.

US-CERT, the US government agency that warns about digital threats, says that removing QuickTime is the only protection against the vulnerabilities that have come out. The vulnerabilities have been known for months, security company Trend Micro claims. It has been protecting its own customers since the end of November last year.

These are two heap corruption vulnerabilities that allow remote code execution. Apple invited the security researchers who found the vulnerabilities to a call, in which the company said it would no longer fix vulnerabilities in QuickTime.

Meanwhile, Apple has put a page online about how Windows users can uninstall QuickTime. While the manufacturer doesn’t say anything about the unrepaired vulnerabilities, it does say that QuickTime is no longer needed for programs like iTunes or video playback in browsers, rendering it obsolete.