Uninstall Apple’s QuickTime now, US government warns Windows users, citing ‘critical’ security flaw

If your Windows PC still runs Apple’s QuickTime, it’s time to find another video player.

The US Department of Homeland Security has issued a warning that recommends removing QuickTime for Windows after cybersecurity firm Trend Micro reported finding two “critical vulnerabilities” in the programme, for which Apple will no longer be providing security updates.

Software often stills works after a company ends support, but users are left at risk because newly discovered security problems won’t be fixed. The warning only applies to the Windows version of QuickTime, so Mac users don’t need to worry about it.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but QuickTime for Windows has been on the decline for awhile. Apple never supported the programme for Windows 8 or 10 - the two most recent versions of Microsoft’s operating system - and its last security update was in January.

In a blog post Thursday, Trend Micro wrote that it had reported two major bugs in the software to Apple but that the tech giant didn’t fix them. The flaws could be exploited by a cybercriminal to attack computers when users visit a malicious website or open an unsafe file, according to the cybersecurity firm.

Trend Micro isn’t aware of any attacks currently leveraging the vulnerabilities, but it said that “the only way to protect your Windows systems from potential attacks against these or other vulnerabilities in Apple QuickTime now is to uninstall it.”