If you’re using an LG monitor and you suddenly see blaring ads for McAfee scam protection, it’s not because your PC’s been hacked (or, rather, not hacked by some unknown third party). LG, the maker of popular high-end screens, has been quietly stuffing its current and even past monitors full of adware. For the last several weeks, multiple Reddit users have reported that their LG monitors had surreptitiously added an app to their PC through an automatic patch via Windows Update. The app then started sending them ads for services like McAfee scam detector through desktop pop-ups. It’s unclear how long LG has been pushing this app, though a Microsoft forum user reported this app all the way back in 2024. Last week, the YouTube channel Gamers Nexus offered more clarity about how these monitors automatically push the “LG Monitor App Installer” alongside the routine driver updates. A brand-new high-end LG UltraGear 34GX900A-B display—a gaming monitor that costs close to $1,200 at its full suggested retail price—reportedly never gave users an option to decline the app or even notified users of what it’s meant to do.
The app supposedly only exists to push even more LG software to your PC through optional downloads. Beyond being bloatware that users may not even know was installed on their computer, the LG Monitor App Installer further promotes McAfee services. Gamers Nexus says the McAfee ads appeared on “every single boot.” LG Monitor App Installer may occasionally push adds for the company’s other apps, like the LG Channels streaming service.
