Tech

Department Of Homeland Security Asks People To Uninstall QuickTime

Windows users have been advised to uninstall the video player.

Department Of Homeland Security Asks People To Uninstall QuickTime
Getty Images / Sean Gallup
SMS

If you're running Windows, you should probably uninstall QuickTime before you get yelled at by your tech friend — or the U.S. government.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recommended Windows users uninstall QuickTime to avoid cyberattacks.

That's because Apple is no longer providing security updates for the video player on Windows, according to the security site Trend Micro. The site flagged vulnerabilities in the software. And without updates, those security issues aren't going anywhere.

Uninstalling QuickTime shouldn't be too much of an inconvenience. As Wired points out, there are plenty of other options for Windows users — which could be one of the reasons Apple might be abandoning the video player for Windows.

Before you panic, there aren't known active attacks, and the warning does not apply to Mac users.

This video includes an image from Getty Images and clips from Microsoft and Apple.