Homeland Security warns Windows PC users to uninstall Quicktime

The Department of Homeland Security and a top cybersecurity firm have advised Windows PC users to uninstall Apple's Quicktime video player immediately after two new bugs were found in the software. 

In a blog post published Thursday, the Trend Micro 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 a tained file. 

Trend Micro said it was not aware of any cases where the bugs had been exploited by hackers. The warning does not apply to Quicktime on Mac operating systems. 

DHS's United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) put out a similar alert Thursday warning that Windows PC users were vulnerable to viruses and other threats due to the security flaws. 

"The only mitigation available is to uninstall QuickTime for Windows," US-CERT's alert said. 

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.