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April 17, 2016 – The Department of Homeland Security has issued a rare warning to users of computers running MS Windows. If you have Apple’s QuickTime for Windows installed on your computer, get rid of it or risk being hacked.
Once upon a time, if you didn’t have QuickTime on your computer, there were a lot of internet sites that wouldn’t work for you and there were video and audio files that you couldn’t plan on your computer. That’s no longer true; especially for Windows users. QuickTime is now a program which the vast majority of consumers no longer need.
Last week, Apple came to the same conclusion. The company publically announced that it would no longer offer support for the Windows version of QuickTime. They made the announcement even though they are aware of two security issues with the program. Note: Apple does continue to offer support for the IOS version of QuickTime.
There are millions of Windows PCs that still have QuickTime installed on them. And the program will continue to run on those PCs as long as it is installed. But the DHS warning makes clear that any PC running the program is at risk of having their entire computer system taken over. This could lead to identity theft and other financial crimes such as fraud or holding a computer’s data hostage in return for ransom.
ACCESS is advising computer users to check their systems to see if QuickTime is installed. If it is, we are advising immediate removal of it. We are also advising that businesses check their computer systems even if they believe that they have been properly maintained and their antivirus software is up to date. QuickTime’s vulnerability could lead to data breaches and in the case of small business, has the potential to do irreparable damage.
byJim Malmberg
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