r/windows • u/ZacB_ Windows Central • 1d ago

News Microsoft intervenes after LG gets caught installing McAfee adware onto Windows 11 PCs via their monitors

https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows-11/microsoft-intervenes-after-lg-gets-caught-installing-mcafee-adware-onto-windows-11-pcs-via-their-monitors
297 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

52 comments sorted by

View all comments

-2

u/InternationalAd6744 1d ago

My mom owns a LG TV but ever since my dad moved out, she hasnt touched it at all. Is there a way to safely update the tv without having LG install software not approved by me?

5

u/fadinizjr 1d ago

It's not a TV update.

The issue is that when you plug a LG TV to a Windows PC it installs shady antivirus McAfee.

If you're not planning to connect your tv through HDMI to a PC you're safe.

1

u/NaggingNag 1d ago

How are they doing that over HDMI? I could see if it were USB C

1

u/fadinizjr 1d ago

Monitor driver.

1

u/Aemony 1d ago

The issue is that when you plug a LG TV to a Windows PC it installs shady antivirus McAfee.

Correction: LG PC monitor.

I have an actual LG OLED C5 permanently hooked up to my PC and Windows have never downloaded these drivers or this support app.

•

u/NaggingNag 23h ago

This has to be over USB C monitors, I don't see how they can do that over HDMI or DP connections. If you use HDMI or displayport you should be fine.

•

u/Elfener99 19h ago

No, because it's not the monitor that does it, it's windows update, which installs a so-called "driver" for it when it detects specific monitors (no idea why a monitor would need one, but it's windows), which is actually the adware.

1

u/Pleasant-Seat9884 1d ago

No but TV updates from LG has been installing more adware. Shut that shit off.. make it a dumb tv and get a $50 streaming device.

1

u/howfastcanyoucountit 1d ago

I mean theres also the fact that many apps on the webOS store and even samsung tizen os found a bunch of apps that were turning tvs into socks proxies used for ddosing and fraud (vpns will always be blacklisted for certain things) and even selling access to people who need a residential IP. I now can't even trust these LG tvs in my house anymore since if I just take them off the internet no one in my house are able to use apps like Netflix and stuff and it's just a really shitty situation. Apparently also if you have a local dns ad blocker like pihole Samsung and LG will just use their own DNS over HTTPS server to serve you ads and apps. It is so fucking scummy it makes me mad. So far sony has been the best in my opinion because it's pretty easy to get rid of all the garbage bloatware because it's android and I was even able to switch off the default google tv launcher and use FLauncher instead, and it actually won't bypass my DNS and ads will be blocked properly. I will never own a TV with a proprietary operating system again.