LG abused an automatic hardware support system from Microsoft to spam users with advertisements for McAfee. Microsoft had to intervene after complaints.
Microsoft has reprimanded LG after the monitor manufacturer abused Windows functionality to display unsolicited advertisements for McAfee. The ball started rolling when customers noticed they were seeing out-of-the-blue advertising pop-ups for what was once an antivirus program, but today is primarily bloatware.
Abuse of HSA
This happened because LG saw fit to abuse a feature within Windows to treat its customers to unsolicited advertising. At the heart of the issue is the Windows Hardware Support App (HSA). HSA ensures that when you connect a piece of hardware to your Windows PC, you immediately receive the relevant software application. The functionality downloads and installs the supporting application in the background.
In LG’s case, this involves the LG Monitor App Installer. This is software that allows you to manage an LG screen and update firmware. Anyone who connects a display automatically receives the application. The intention is that the app in question serves only to support the hardware.
However, LG chose to equip that supporting app with advertisements. As a result, users saw pop-ups for McAfee without ever having given permission. Buying and connecting an LG monitor was enough to activate the ads.
Lingering questions
Microsoft has now addressed LG, and the latter has removed the advertisements. This seems to settle the matter, although many questions remain. What possessed LG to treat customers as mere eyeballs for advertising? And what controls does Microsoft provide for applications that are automatically installed via HSA?
We further note that McAfee’s role in computer security is becoming more dubious by the day. While the software once offered truly useful protection, today the tool is not really any better than what Microsoft offers with Defender in Windows 11. Free choice is not a bad thing in itself, but McAfee has chosen to market itself aggressively to anyone who is (or isn’t) willing to look. The advertising via LG is just one example: aggressive pop-ups from the software are now standard on newly unboxed computers from many brands, including professional ones.