Microsoft Responds to LG Monitors Installing McAfee Ads On Windows
- Reference: 0184619622
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/07/23/2137202/microsoft-responds-to-lg-monitors-installing-mcafee-ads-on-windows
- Source link:
> Following [3]Gamers Nexus' video , a Microsoft representative stated that the LG Monitor App Installer will no longer show pop-up ads for McAfee. In response to a social media post about the app, Pavan Davuluri, EVP of Windows and devices at Microsoft, [4]said this week: "We've connected with the team at LG and as an immediate next step, they have agreed to disable the McAfee pop-up from their app. We appreciate LG working with us toward a shared goal of a better experience for our mutual customers. We will keep improving here with our ecosystem partners."
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> As mentioned, some LG monitors appear to have been installing LG Monitor App Installer onto Windows computers for months. Publication Windows Latest noted that the app recently got an update, "and its changelog mentions McAfee as an additional app," which could be what prompted more people to see the ads... and then complain about them. However, the removal of McAfee doesn't address the problem of a peripheral installing ad-pushing software onto people's computers.
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> Users have been finding LG Monitor App Installer and its ads on their systems without LG ever showing a prompt or asking for permission. LG has some of the most expensive computer monitors available. Paying, in some cases, over $1,000 for a monitor that ends up forcing ads onto Windows is disruptive and a privacy concern. Once the app is installed, "LG technically possesses permission to use 'all system resources,'" as well as to "collect geolocation, device data, online activity, contacts, user credentials, transactions, and more," [editor-in-chief of Gamers Nexus, Steve Burke] said.
[1] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/07/microsoft-responds-to-lg-monitors-installing-mcafee-ads-on-windows/
[2] https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/26/07/20/1736218/lg-monitors-silently-install-adware-like-app-on-windows-pcs
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9uefFYe6bM
[4] https://x.com/pavandavuluri/status/2079982812699193690?s=20
Probable reaction (Score:4, Informative)
Meh, they'll probably build future ads directly into the monitor firmware, so even people using them on Linux will get them as the monitor powers up. Won't that be lovely?
Re: (Score:2)
Fortunately that does not actually work. I am sure they would love to do it though.
Re: (Score:2)
Why wouldn't it work? The monitor can display whatever it wants; it doesn't have to obey the HDMI signal coming in. Or it can overlay whatever it wants over the HDMI signal with no involvement from the computer driving the display.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, it can be _done_. It would still not _work_. The problem is that this would preclude use of that monitor in a lot of scenarios _and_ the ads would either get stale or you would have to magic in some network interface for the monitor.
Re: Probable reaction (Score:1)
I do see a possibility of having LTE modem with virtual sim card the same way as modern cars have it. This stuff is not that expensive at tremendous volumes. I could totally see it on high end monitors and tv sets.
Re: (Score:2)
That sounds like a complete hallucination to me. Please reconnect with the real world.
I'm not a fan of Microsoft (Score:5, Informative)
But from what I understand they don't allow you to do what LG did. It's explicitly forbidden in the guidelines for a Windows certified driver.
I don't know what made LG think they could get away with this nonsense. Every single tech YouTuber on the planet has gone crazy reporting this.
Re:I'm not a fan of Microsoft (Score:4, Informative)
Except WHQL explicitly does allow this, the driver manifest can point to associated apps in the Microsoft Store and WHQL certification doesn't extend to the apps. Fun fact LG monitors have done this for years. The difference is that in the past the software automatically installed was actually wanted, e.g. LG Calibration studio is was automatically installed when I first plugged in my LG monitor I bought 3 years ago.
Re: (Score:2)
I think where it breaks down is when LG involves a unrelated third party in this case McAfee.
Re: (Score:2)
> But from what I understand they don't allow you to do what LG did. It's explicitly forbidden in the guidelines for a Windows certified driver.
Guidelines that get reluctantly enforced only when things blow up are not worth anything.
Re: (Score:2)
Because this is the method of modern tech co's. You'd think that someone in marketing would go WTF, no we are not going to annoy our customers like this. That is now how civil humans behave, you know do unto others... You'd think. But in today's world of tech, we break the rules, the mores, the laws and ask forgiveness. And if not too many people complain or we don't get arrested, we got away with it and made a buck. Frankly, I'm a bit embarrassed for my choose of fields. But I'd no idea that the cohort of
Re: (Score:2)
Cool... now can they get Adobe to stop bundling McAfee in their Reader bundles as well?
We need a different pop-up (Score:3)
Would you like to install this software?
- Yes, please.
- No, and never ask again.
Re: (Score:2)
And 3 - light the CEO of the company that create this on fire.
Re: (Score:2)
MS do not know what "No, and never ask again." is, so it would be automatically replaced by "no, ask me again in 5minutes"
Monolithic kernel (Score:3)
I'm guessing Microsoft's reasoning is that since you trust the driver, you probably also trust the companion app from the same vendor. On the flip side, what's stopping LG from pushing the adware into the driver itself? Unfortunately, this is an issue with every OS that has a monolithic kernel.
Re: (Score:2)
Like Linux?
Scumbags advertising scumbags via scumbags (Score:3)
LG slips McAfee adware via Windows Update. What a collaboration of scumbags!
If you run Windows as admin... (Score:2)
If you don't create a non-admin account for day to day use, you're inviting this kind of crap. Granted, non-admin accounts don't stop everything, but they certainly stop the word of it.
Re:If you run Windows as admin... (Score:4, Informative)
You don't need admin privileges to install software from the Microsoft Store or for Windows update to provision drivers. An unprivileged account doesn't fix this.
Re:If you run Windows as admin... (Score:4, Informative)
Are you installing your AMD/NVidia drivers and companion apps without admin?
The root cause of this debacle is Windows update dutifully installing the LG driver, and its companion app. Drivers don't happen without admin permissions.
My point is that, in this scenario, it doesn't matter in the least what type of user account you use. Windows Plug-n-Play automatically installed the driver and app. Windows update uses the SYSTEM user, which has full root permissions.
So they promise nobody will notice next time? (Score:5, Insightful)
I have a good idea how that conversation between Microslop and LG went:
"MS: Hey, by suddenly showing Ads you exposed the back-door we built for our vendor's club! Don't do that!"
"LG: Sorry, our bad, our marketing department didn't know the back-door was only meant for spying on the users and sending their data to our servers. We promise to not be caught next time!"
"MS: All good. But don't forget the the user's data is ours to sell, so only looking, no selling, understood?"
"keep improving here with our ecosystem partners" (Score:2)
Seems unlikely.
That you would even try something like this and assume it will go down smoothly means that if you got an MRI, they'd find nothing but cork inside your skull.
People have a super-difficult time imagining the hateful experiences they want to impose on others. Anyone who comes up with an idea like this ought to have to live inside their own design for an ad-soaked Hell for a solid month before they're allowed to put it forward.
MS does not think it is _your_ computer (Score:2)
Clearly. This LG crap-show is just one more indicator, but the fundamental problem is all Microsoft.
The "issue" does not remain. (Score:2)
The "issue" here is a feature that has existed in Windows since the early days of Windows 11 and has a specific toggle in the settings should you want to disable it. That "issue" allows users to use their hardware's features (some of which require apps to control) without trawling the internet looking for the software from the website of the peripheral manufacturer.
The only real issue here is that LG shat the bed by including unwanted non-related software. MS should police this, but ultimately the software
Yep, no network connections for LG! (Score:1)
Another reason I don’t use Windows, and my LG TV is not connected to any network!
Microsoft is outraged (Score:2)
Microsoft is upset about this because they are not getting a cut of the ad revenue. Next time LG will remember to let then dip their beak a little.
Imagine paying $1k for a monitor that puts ads... (Score:2)
Imagine paying $1,000 for a monitor that puts ads on your screen.
Monitor installs? (Score:2)
How can a monitor install something? Does it have free will, agentic rights, useraccount on Windows? Admin rights? To me this sounds like Microsoft installs. Or they have opened up some pardnership program for third parties for some extra rights, privileged accounts on users machines. LG just could not resist and started gently with nothing less than a concrete consolidator.
Security Vulnerability (Score:5, Insightful)
A security vulnerability just directly into admin privileges bypassing every possible check. Perfect, 10/10, no notes.
Re:Security Vulnerability (Score:4, Informative)
Yes but this is literally required for hardware. Hardware needs drivers, and since the days of plug and play we've had drivers automatically install for hardware.
Re:Security Vulnerability (Score:5, Insightful)
"Literally required"? Such nonsense. Sane driver installation is just as subject to sysadmin consent as all other software installation. What do you think how this goes if somebody manages a supply-chain attach on this, especially on, say, an industrial control system that cannot simply be turned off?
Re:Security Vulnerability (Score:5, Insightful)
Windows has built-in default drivers that work for most standard device types. Installing the specific driver package that includes advanced features specific to a particular make/model of the device should be something that the user has control of.
A monitor will work with default drivers. A mouse will work with default drivers. A keyboard will work with default drivers. The special features may need an application installed. Windows Update can detect the device ID and offer to install the software for it, but it should not install it without user consent.
I think that it does work this way for most things.... In Windows Update, you have to enable optional updates to get 3rd party driver updates. I don't see why the LG monitor drivers would be mandatory.
Re:Security Vulnerability (Score:4, Insightful)
It's a goddamn monitor. It should be compliant with video interface signaling standards and to be able to notify the system of what standards it complies with through the video interface itself or with minimal drivers that are basically just an FYI. Even if it has other features like audio capability, USB passthrough, or even some kind of software-based control of the monitor for some other reason, that shouldn't require crazy amounts of permissions to accomplish.
This sort of crap is what I hate about modern consumer electronics. It used to be that most peripherals didn't require much to function, and either software that ran at the user-level with minimal drivers or else features functioned directly onboard said device let it be controlled. This modern era where everything requires copious permissions and comes packed with malware is truly awful. And frankly Microsoft shares some blame here, for even allowing this in the first place.
Re: (Score:2)
There's no such thing as a driver for a monitor. Even for a monitor with sound. Windows allows monitor drivers to be provided, but all they do is contain hard-coded meta-information for Windows that Windows can get via other standard interfaces (HDMI, DP). And as illustrated by this nonsense, the driver thing is just an excuse to advertise and install malware (McAfee).
Re: (Score:2)
I wish this was completely true but I had a monitor I brought in from home to use on a work computer, and a mid-stage upgrade within Windows 11 caused the monitor to stop working at its native resolution and only work at 640x480. It was an older monitor and natively DVI on the monitor itself. I couldn't find a ready solution to the problem. Work ended up giving me an extra to replace mine.
I can only suspect that some kind of security setting was not being met, but either way it was really irritating.
Re: (Score:1)
"It used to be that most peripherals didn't require much to function, and either software that ran at the user-level with minimal drivers or else features functioned directly onboard said device let it be controlled."
You don't remember WordPerfect for DOS? It came with several disks containing nothing but printer drivers for almost every brand of printer that was available at the time.
Same thing with Amiga desktop publishing software like Pagestream, and so on.
There were drivers on disks or CD's that came p
Re: (Score:2)
now lets see how linux do it...
plug the hardware, kernel detects the device IDs, modprobe loads the module, the hardware runs
anything that requires anything else is broken (looking to you nvidia), even firmware is installed by the OS in /lib/firmware/ (even when the firmware is +200MB, again looking to you nvidia when most of the others are below 2Mb)
Re:Security Vulnerability (Score:4, Insightful)
Indeed. Insecure by design. In a rational world, this designed-in vulnerability would exclude Windows from most uses.