The United States Department of Homeland Security recently released an advisory to PC owners to uninstall Apple's QuickTime for Windows program. The advisory was released after two major security vulnerabilities were discovered hidden deep in the software's code. The DHS added that the only way to mitigate the effect of the vulnerability is to completely remove the software.

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According to The Verge, the statement made by the DHS is similar to an advisory issued by security firm Trend Micro whose Zero Day Initiative, who first discovered the two QuickTime for Windows vulnerabilities. Trend Micro said that it is not aware of any successful exploit that uses the vulnerability. However, Trend Micro added that since Apple is no longer issuing security patches to close the loophole, the vulnerabilities will be open to malicious users to exploit.

In a statement, Trend Micro global threat communications manager Christopher Budd said, "We're not aware of any active attacks against these vulnerabilities currently. But the only way to protect your Windows systems from potential attacks against these or other vulnerabilities is Apple QuickTime now is to uninstall it."

The US government regularly issues security alerts and advice regarding specific software. These advisories are handled by the Computer Emergency Readiness Team. On the other hand, these advisories are usually open-ended. The most common advice to users is to use an antivirus software or make sure that every program is updated.

In the case of the QuickTime for Windows vulnerability, Apple has long ceased its support for the software. On top of this, the video player is not even supported by either Windows 8 or Windows 10, although dedicated users have come up with a workaround.

QuickTime is a widely-used software from Apple which has been around for more than 20 years. While the software may not be the best media player in the business, a lot of users install it since it is bundled with iTunes.

TagsDHS, Department of Homeland Security, homeland security, QuickTime, QuickTime for Windows, QuickTime bug, QuickTime vulnerability