Apple: Beware of Rigged QuickTime Movies

General Topics
1
Multiple security flaws in Apple's QuickTime media player could put Mac and PC users at risk of malicious hacker attacks, according to a warning from the Cupertino, Calif. company.

Apple released QuickTime 7.1.3 as a high-priority update alongside warnings that maliciously crafted movie and image files could be used to execute harmful code on vulnerable computers.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2015366,00.asp

Now where was that standalone Quicktime link again?

EDIT: Apple now give you the option of downloading Quicktime without iTunes on the main download page, instead of having to search around for the standalone link.

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html

(Windows)

2

I can’t remember the last time I used Quicktime player but when you find the link Frank I would appreciate it if you could post it.

Edit: Ha, too darn slow you posted it whilst I was typing the post, thanks.

3

Make sure you change the default option to the one without iTunes if you don’t need it and it is a gut busting (dial-up) 18.8 MB download, talk about bloatware, hell it is only a bl**dy media player.

4

You might also want to UN check the “install QuickTime icon in system tray”
Unless you frequently use any of the functions, it not needed and only adds
something else to your startup sequence.

5

Yes, that is one of the things I disliked about QuickTime, its desire to take over the world. It just doesn’t seem to appreciate that you mightn’t want it as your primary media player. I’m still using the Jet Audio you mentioned some time ago Bob.

6

QuickTime 7.1.3 is also required for iTunes 7.0 (adds support for movie downloads and fixes the security risks mentioned above)

David, QuickTime is only the first step in our plan to take over the world ;D

Seriously Unless you use iTunes or just NEED quicktime its best not to install it in windows IMHO there are far more Windows Media files than QuickTime files out there :slight_smile:

7

QuickTime Alternative avoids the startup and iTunes issues

http://fileforum.betanews.com/search?search=quicktime+alternative&os[]=4&os[]=6&os[]=5&os[]=7&os[]=2&os[]=3

The Beta version is the way to go but I’ve posted the page showing all versions since some users are leary of programs still in Beta.

8

I believe the BBC uses Quicktime for some of its audio broadcasts, but you right it is a huge install just to effectively get quicktime codecs. What I can’t understand is I have QT Player 6.5 and the whole quicktime folder is 2.69MB when this 7.1.3 mamoth weighs in at 18.8MB for the download installation file.

9

David the reason QT 7.x.x is so Large is it supports the H.264 Codec. H.264 is great but it is not really catching on like everyone thought it would. You can just keep QT 6.5.2 unless you want to play H.264 Files as that is the only diffrence in the Windows version (mac version has other improvements over 6.5.x)

EDIT: HERE is a link with the older Quick Time Installers 7.0.x, 6.5.x etc.

10

I was only considering the update because of the security implications of not updating and having possible vulnerabilities exploited. I have no idea what a H.264 file is or if I would ever be likely require that functionality. It would have been nice if you could simply apply the security updates to the existing QT Player (6.5.2 in my case).

Edit: Just been doing a search for H.264 Codec and there is no way (on lowly dial-up) I would be likely to use it

QuickTime 7 features a state-of-the-art video codec called H.264, which delivers stunning quality at remarkably low data rates. Ratified as part of the MPEG-4 standard (MPEG-4 Part 10), this ultra-efficient technology gives you excellent results across a broad range of bandwidths, from 3G for mobile devices to iChat AV for video conferencing to HD for broadcast and DVD.
What is H.264? H.264 is the next-generation video compression technology in the MPEG-4 standard, also known as MPEG-4 Part 10. H.264 can match the best possible MPEG-2 quality at up to half the data rate. H.264 also delivers excellent video quality across the entire bandwidth spectrum — from 3G to HD and everything in between (from 40 Kbps to upwards of 10 Mbps).
11

Thats the downside of QuickTime on windows. you can use the QuickTime updater which will apply the updates (7.1.2 → 7.1.3) but not the upgrades (6.5.2 → 7.1.3)

Apple just assumes everyone has broadband. :-[

12

Most annoying thing when it comes to the Quicktime is you simply can’t get rid of it from your startup. As long as you have it installed, it will always pop-up inside the Startup folder. You erase it, and very next time you watch some quicktime file, there it goes… right into your startup with -atboottime command. Why ? I certainly don’t want it to start with Windows. There is not even an option inside the Quicktime settings, so we could maybe turn that on/off in case we need to do that.

13

sasha QuickTIme also starts at boot in OS X and no opion to turn it off there either

14

If something is broke, don’t you fix it???
Why can’t that be taken care of ?

15

I have Quicktime disabled from startup with WinPatrol. WinPatrol is great for managing startup items.

16

Yeah… some anoying programs…
RealPlayer, Ewido, SpywareTerminator are other examples…
Some of them use the HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellExecuteHooks registry key…
WinPatrol could remove them :wink:

We, for sure, don’t want them to autostart :stuck_out_tongue: :stuck_out_tongue:

17

Yes, I know the feeling ;D That’s why I use Ewido-micro scanner and nothing else. Just scann on demand when you need it, close the program and it doesn’t bug you with startup anymore.

Link: http://download.ewido.net/ewido_micro.exe

18

I also do not have auto start activated on alot of my programs. I like to be able to start them as I need them. :slight_smile:

19

Hey guys! There is no need to install official Quicktime and Real Player, you can use the alternatives found here:

http://www.codecguide.com/

I install K-Lite Mega Codec Pack and that one already has Quicktime alternative and Real player alternative with it. Not to mention it installs all those divx/xvid codecs you need for watching movies. And also there are no startup items for alternative quicktime and real player at default. :wink:

20

Yes, but I never liked those combo codec packs because if you deal professionaly with DVD authoring/Audio/Video editing in general, you would know that they bring you just problems. They install everything and anything, and it’s well known that they can install more trash than needed. There are just few codecs that you will ever need on ordinary PC, and they all are free and can be installed manually in no minutes.

Take a look at few replies in one of well known forums that deals with audio/video codec issues:

User #13157 1645 posts johnd Whirlpool Enthusiast

which codec packs do you reccomend?
None.

is k lite the top of range?
Only if you don’t want to actually play anything.
Take the hint. Installing a codec pack will always stuff something up. Always. It might not be immediately apparent, but things will be screwed. This is particularly true if you encode media.
Get gspot (www.headbands.com/gspot). When you can’t play something, use it to find out the missing codec, download and install it. Nearly all media uses only a few codecs, so it’s not such an onerous task. And things will continue to work.

User #100554 377 posts Solid Snake^1 Forum Regular

beware there are some dogy K-Lite codec packs out there

User #17653 12624 posts SpaceOne™

Whirlpool Forums Addict

On topic of K-lite codec pack, I’ve also have problem after installing this codec apparently everytime I’ve click a media file on the net the screen smudge with all different colors, however I’m able to view any media file on my desktops, does anyone know how to fix it.

For instance I can’t view any media file from smh.com.au or news.com.au.

This is one of the best sites codecs related and BTW very useful source of information:
http://www.free-codecs.com/guides/What_Codecs_Should_I_Use.htm

Quote I took from there:

Other method - also very simple - to find out the proper codec for video/audio files is GSpot or AVIcodec. These small tools can help you to check what codecs you need and whether your computer is able to play the file(s).

Sometimes it would be simpler to just install most of the commonly used codecs so as to avoid having to search for one each time you download a file using a new codec. Such codec packs are available here at Free-Codecs.com, however, you must take precautions to ensure that there are no software conflicts.

Many users reported troubles with codec packs. Our advice is: Always use tools like GSpot and AVIcodec and try to install only the codecs you need. Almost all packs give you the option to select the codec before installation.

Other thing, I tried those two alternatives for RealPlayer and Quicktime and none of them worked 100% as originals do, so I diched them quickly in no time (maybe that’s why it’s called Quicktime, hehe ;D )