LG monitors secretly installed adware on computers. After Microsoft's intervention, the brand will stop

You buy an expensive monitor from a reputable brand, connect it to your computer, and ads start popping up. This is exactly what some LG monitors began to do: after connecting to Windows, the computer automatically downloaded an application that, with every startup, pushed a paid McAfee antivirus. Following a wave of criticism and a prompt from Microsoft, the brand now promises to put an end to it.

The advertisement got onto the PC via an automatically installed program

All it took was plugging in the monitor. The Windows system, using a mechanism that allows manufacturers to pair applications with connected hardware, automatically downloaded and installed the LG Monitor App Installer program – without a single prompt, just incidentally alongside the drivers.

The entire issue was highlighted by a test from the Gamers Nexus channel, which was then reported by The Verge. For this reason, the editorial team acquired an LG UltraGear 34GX900A-B monitor for approximately 1,200 dollars (around 25,000 Czech crowns in conversion). The result? A pop-up window with a McAfee offer appeared in 31 out of 32 consecutive computer startups.

However, the problem was not limited to new models. The same behavior was observed with a three-year-old LG UltraFine 32UN880-B. It is also concerning that the application itself, according to its Microsoft Store listing, requests access to all system resources and the internet.

Microsoft intervened

Microsoft itself intervened in the matter. Its manager Pavan Davuluri, who is responsible for Windows, announced that they had contacted LG, and the brand agreed to disable the pop-up advertisement. The catch is what exactly that means: LG promised to only disable the McAfee pop-up window, not to stop silently installing the application. The core of the problem – that software gets onto the computer without consent – thus remains.

LG itself defends by stating that McAfee is not installed automatically and never without the user’s explicit consent. While this is technically true for the antivirus itself, the pop-up advertisement on the desktop appeared on its own. It is also worth noting that the entire mechanism of silently pairing applications with hardware is a Microsoft feature – so criticism ultimately targets both parties.

How to get rid of the annoying application?

But we do have at least one piece of good news: the program can be removed manually. You can find it in Windows in Settings → Apps → Installed apps, from where it can be uninstalled normally. Automatic downloading of programs paired with hardware can also be prevented via Group Policy, but not every edition of Windows offers this option.

Have you also encountered the McAfee pop-up after connecting your monitor?

Sources: The Verge, Gamers Nexus, Android Authority, Engadget