Plug in an LG monitor, and Windows might quietly install more than a driver. That’s what several owners found out this month, when a pop-up promoting a McAfee antivirus trial appeared on their screens without a single consent prompt in sight. Microsoft has now stepped in, and LG says it’s turning off the ad.
Where the pop-up came from
Windows lets hardware makers auto-install companion software the moment you plug in a device. This does not require user consent. LG uses the same pipeline to install its Monitor App Installer when an LG monitor is plugged into the system. LG’s changelog for a recent Monitor App Installer update shows McAfee listed as an “Additional App,” which is how the antivirus ad started showing up for users this month.
Following user backlash, Microsoft caught wind of the situation when Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney tagged Windows chief Pavan Davuluri in an X post highlighting the issue (via Windows Latest). Davuluri confirmed the resolution three days later, saying LG had agreed to disable the McAfee pop-up as an immediate fix.
The bigger issue Microsoft hasn’t fixed
In a statement to Windows Latest, LG defended itself, saying McAfee never installs without a user’s explicit consent and pointed to Microsoft’s own Windows distribution process as the source of the problem. That explanation doesn’t match what several owners reported seeing, since multiple users described the pop-up appearing on its own, with no install prompt to consent to it in the first place.
While this particular issue has been resolved, the auto-install pipeline behind the McAfee pop-up remains active for every other manufacturer. Microsoft moved fast once the complaint reached the right person, but that’s an issue in itself. A fix that only arrives after a viral post and a CEO’s tag isn’t a fix, it’s damage control. The next unwanted install from another OEM won’t get the same treatment unless it blows up the same way.
