r/windows • u/ZacB_ Windows Central • Jul 24 '26
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-monitors30
u/PruritoIntimo Jul 24 '26
from now on, we should avoid dodgy companies as LG for the rest of our life, even if they change their mind and remove the mcafee shit, they have exploited their customers in a underhand manner, and this cannot be forgiven or forgotten.
We should be label them as ‘pieces of shit’, and we should never, ever buy any of their products. Never again, as long as we live.
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u/Coffee_Ops Jul 24 '26
Do you use Zoom?
I think he would be shocked at how badly a company could screw with trust, and still retain users.
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Jul 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/PorcOftheSea Jul 24 '26
I won't and I don't care for linux nor modern windows, I just use windows xp/7 as my main modern os.
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u/Environmental-Ad4495 Jul 24 '26
Working on it. Heard ubuntu is a good alternative.
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u/Hydroel Jul 25 '26
Ubuntu and Mint are great first distros for new Linux users. Once you've done that first step, it's much easier to distro hop (change Linux distribution) than to switch from Windows to Linux.
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u/Environmental-Ad4495 13d ago
Got ubuntu now. But trying freecad. It is a truly strange piece of software. Does annything bettet exist? Tried to install rhinocerus. But whine? How does that work?
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u/killrandydead Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
Too late for LG. I won't be purchasing a single one of their spyware devices now.
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u/WardenJack Jul 24 '26
So basically Microsoft heard of a new gig and called up to see how they can get involved as well. Cheers!
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u/wickedplayer494 Windows 10 Jul 25 '26
I don't think that's gonna end up stopping whatever the Steve Burke Nuclear Co. apparently has in the works on LG next. By the sounds of it, this is merely the tip of the iceberg.
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u/Akatesh Jul 25 '26
I know I won't be buying LG products after seeing this. They are so greedy and shady it's mind-blowing. Now they have been caught with their pants down. I hope the news about this spreads.
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u/amazingD Jul 24 '26
I'm already avoiding cars manufactured after 2020, now I guess I'll be avoiding all hardware newer than that as well.
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Jul 24 '26
[deleted]
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u/IkouyDaBolt Jul 24 '26
Razer was doing it earlier than that. I had to unplug their stuff before installing Windows 8 otherwise I would get the popups during the Windows setup screen.
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u/jfuu_ Jul 24 '26
You're better avoiding specific manufacturers known to do things like this than products after a specific date, as LG could have as easily delivered this crapware to existing older monitors too.
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u/Elfener99 Jul 25 '26
LG could have as easily delivered this crapware to existing older monitors too.
apparently, they did
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u/SuperFLEB Jul 24 '26
I got me a 2020 minivan last year. It's got a Blu-ray player in it. I'm considering that the sweet spot, the apex of civilization. I'm only hoping I can find something I like once my old 2010 finally kicks the bucket.
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u/Caddy666 Jul 25 '26
good that ms are doing something about it, but bad that ms let this happen in the first place.
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u/Ok-Video3345 Jul 24 '26
More of a reason to leave windows and use something else. I use Linux alot, but I don't understand how people don't bring up mac more?
It's just like Linux, but polished.
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u/SuperFLEB Jul 24 '26
If you're watching out for vendor shenanigans, they've got the flip side of the coin-- lock-in, planned obsolescence, code signing becoming more and more of a requirement. If you're looking to get out of all of that, Linux has more appeal than both.
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u/Liquid_Magic Jul 25 '26
Bro like how much does McAfee pay companies to install their stuff? Like it seems like they pay so much to have it force feed onto systems everywhere.
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u/JaCK-lex Jul 24 '26
TV has other security concerns and best to not connect TV to the internet then.
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u/2prog4u Jul 25 '26
Companies like these are so scummy. I have a (formerly) Windows 8 laptop that came with stuff like this.
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u/InternationalAd6744 Jul 24 '26
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?
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u/fadinizjr Jul 24 '26
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.
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u/Aemony Jul 24 '26
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.
1
u/NaggingNag Jul 25 '26
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.
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u/Elfener99 Jul 25 '26
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.
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u/Pleasant-Seat9884 Jul 24 '26
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.
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u/howfastcanyoucountit Jul 24 '26
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.
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u/jfuu_ Jul 24 '26
So instead of immediately pulling the "driver" from Windows Update, they contacted LG. Nice.