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title: Your Monitor Can Install Adware Now? | daily.dev
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# Your Monitor Can Install Adware Now?

**[Security Boulevard](https://daily.dev/sources/securityboulevard)** · 3 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

Hardware peripherals like LG monitors are now being used as software delivery channels — automatically installing companion apps via Windows that display adware such as McAfee ads. A related Krebs on Security story reveals LG smart TVs were used as residential proxy nodes. The broader concern is that drivers, vendor utilities, telemetry, and trialware arrive through installation paths users trust as routine hardware setup. Practical advice includes reviewing Windows Startup Apps, uninstalling unnecessary vendor utilities, auditing smart-TV privacy settings, and network-segmenting smart devices away from sensitive machines.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://securityboulevard.com/2026/07/your-monitor-can-install-adware-now>

## Questions this post answers

### Why did my PC start showing McAfee ads after I plugged in a new LG monitor?

Connecting certain LG monitors triggers Windows to automatically pull a vendor companion app through the Microsoft Store, and that app displays McAfee ads without explicit user consent. This happens through the standard plug-and-play driver installation process, meaning users get advertising bundled in with what looks like normal hardware setup rather than opting into any software.

_Developers and IT staff tracking vendor bloatware behavior like this can follow the discussion on daily.dev._

### How can I stop Windows from installing vendor companion apps and ads when I connect new hardware?

Check Windows Startup Apps after connecting any new hardware and uninstall vendor utilities you do not need, since companion apps, RGB software, printer suites, and telemetry tools can all arrive silently during driver installation. Reviewing installed apps immediately after plugging in a new monitor, printer, or peripheral is the most reliable way to catch and remove unwanted bloatware.

_People locking down bloatware on their machines can keep tabs on hardware-adware reports via daily.dev._

### Were LG smart TVs used as residential proxy nodes without user knowledge?

Yes, LG smart TV apps allowed televisions to be used as residential proxy nodes, a practice covered separately by Krebs on Security, prompting LG to ban residential proxies from its smart TV apps. This illustrates how networked peripherals like TVs, monitors, and printers function as software platforms that can be repurposed beyond their advertised use.

_Anyone segmenting smart devices from sensitive work machines can follow proxy-abuse coverage on daily.dev._

## Similar posts on daily.dev

- [Stopping the smart TV from being used against you](https://daily.dev/posts/stopping-the-smart-tv-from-being-used-against-you-b1xuucq0q) · Lobsters · 0 upvotes · 0 comments
- [Your monitor could install apps on your Windows PC without permission, but the fix is simple](https://daily.dev/posts/your-monitor-could-install-apps-on-your-windows-pc-without-permission-but-the-fix-is-simple-vsjj6zvzc) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

---

Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security), [#windows](https://daily.dev/tags/windows)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/your-monitor-can-install-adware-now--rwhhmrzae)

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