Apple plugs eight QuickTime holes

On Monday this week Apple released updates to its QuickTime media player software to repair eight serious security vulnerabilities.

The vulnerabilities expose both Macs and Windows PCs to cyberattack, Apple said in a security alert. In all cases, an attacker could craft a malicious file which, when opened with QuickTime, could give the miscreant full control over a computer running the software, Apple said.

With operating systems becoming more secure, widely used programs such as media players, instant-message tools and antivirus shields have become popular hacker targets, pundits have said.