Following the disclosure of two new flaws in QuickTime 7 for Windows last week by software security firm Trend Micro, Apple has now officially confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that it will stop releasing updates or patching security holes for QuickTime for Windows, marking the end of the road for the PC edition of the multimedia software after an eleven-year run.
The Cupertino firm added that keeping the software installed on Windows PCs may pose a security risk.
A support document on Apple’s website details the steps that Windows users should follow in order to uninstall the software from their Windows PC.
“Apple confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that it is no longer supporting or updating the 11-year-old QuickTime 7 for Windows,” reads the article.
The security holes Trend Micro found in QuickTime for Windows don’t exist in QuickTime X for Macs.
“Exploitation of QuickTime for Windows vulnerabilities could allow remote attackers to take control of affected systems,” as per the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team.
The government agency has called on Windows users to uninstall QuickTime after Trend Micro learned that not only Apple will be no longer fixing the exploits but will stop supporting Windows users, too.
Be that as it may, the development shouldn’t concern average Windows users much.
Most modern browsers now support HTML5 video and audio that the QuickTime browser plug-in used to handle. In addition, Apple’s multimedia software is no longer required to use iTunes for Windows because iTunes can play back all the same video and audio files QuickTime does.
QuickTime for Mac is unaffected and continues to be available as part of OS X and OS updates. A standalone Quicktime for Mac installer is no longer available.
If you own a Windows PC, are you using still using QuickTime?
Source: The Wall Street Journal