Plug In a Monitor, Get a McAfee Ad — Windows Silently Sideloads LG and Alienware Apps
TL;DR
Plugging in an LG or Alienware monitor silently installs a Windows Store app that pops up McAfee antivirus ads on boot.
Reddit user u/Mags_Smash plugged a new LG UltraGear 27GP83B and two 27GN800 panels into a Windows 11 PC in early July, clicked no install prompt, and watched a McAfee antivirus promotion pop up on the desktop. A trip through the app list showed the system had quietly pulled down
The same week, owners of Dell's Alienware displays reported identical behavior — connect the cable, get a companion app. Tom's Hardware reported the path runs through Windows' device metadata pipeline, the mechanism originally built to auto-match drivers, now used by vendors to sideload UWP apps while skipping the classic "install software for this device?" toast.
The McAfee ad is not a Windows component. It is an affiliate promotion the LG companion app fetches on its own after launching at boot. TechSpot confirmed the app cannot be uninstalled from the Microsoft Store. The only supported removals are unchecking it under Settings > Apps > Startup, blocking automatic device app downloads through
Commenters compared the tactic to Asus motherboards auto-installing Armory Crate, both pushing software down a firmware and hardware channel. The gap: Armory Crate sells Asus's own ecosystem. LG here is renting the trust the user gave a monitor cable to McAfee's affiliate program. LG, Dell, and Microsoft did not respond to press inquiries by press time. McAfee did not comment on the distribution channel.
Plug in a monitor in 2026, get a UWP app the chipset never asked for, launched at boot to serve one antivirus ad. That is the Windows 11 default.
via Tom's Hardware / TechSpot / WareData
9PM9N6F47JB8-LGElectronics.LGMonitorApp through the Microsoft Store and Windows Update, listed as "LG Monitor App Installer."The same week, owners of Dell's Alienware displays reported identical behavior — connect the cable, get a companion app. Tom's Hardware reported the path runs through Windows' device metadata pipeline, the mechanism originally built to auto-match drivers, now used by vendors to sideload UWP apps while skipping the classic "install software for this device?" toast.
The McAfee ad is not a Windows component. It is an affiliate promotion the LG companion app fetches on its own after launching at boot. TechSpot confirmed the app cannot be uninstalled from the Microsoft Store. The only supported removals are unchecking it under Settings > Apps > Startup, blocking automatic device app downloads through
gpedit.msc, or disabling the Microsoft Store entirely.Commenters compared the tactic to Asus motherboards auto-installing Armory Crate, both pushing software down a firmware and hardware channel. The gap: Armory Crate sells Asus's own ecosystem. LG here is renting the trust the user gave a monitor cable to McAfee's affiliate program. LG, Dell, and Microsoft did not respond to press inquiries by press time. McAfee did not comment on the distribution channel.
Plug in a monitor in 2026, get a UWP app the chipset never asked for, launched at boot to serve one antivirus ad. That is the Windows 11 default.
via Tom's Hardware / TechSpot / WareData
