Uninstall QuickTime For Windows Immediately, Government Urges

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS) – Anyone running QuickTime on their Windows computer is being urged by the government to uninstall the program right away.

The Department of Homeland Security issued an alert on Friday, noting that Apple will stop providing security updates for QuickTime for Windows.

That change can leave users vulnerable, and there's a risk hackers could take over their computers, according to the alert.

"Computer systems running unsupported software are exposed to elevated cybersecurity dangers, such as increased risks of malicious attacks or electronic data loss," the department said.

Directions for installing QuickTime for Windows can be found here.

The department notes that QuickTime will still work for Windows, but the risk of getting a virus and other security threats will increase.