LG and Dell monitors auto-install bloatware via Windows Update, no consent asked

Plugging certain LG monitors into a Windows PC can trigger Windows Update to silently pull down LG’s Monitor App Installer and related components — with no consent prompt and no chance to decline. Gamers Nexus reproduced the behavior on an LG UltraGear 34GX900A-B, watching the installer appear about a minute after the extension packages landed. Across 32 consecutive boots, the app pushed a McAfee subscription promotion on 31 of them, dangling a 30-day trial that rolls into a paid plan; the lone exception advertised one of LG’s own utilities.

The problem isn’t confined to new hardware. A three-year-old LG UltraFine 32UN880-B got the same popup, and user complaints trace back to at least 2024, though the recent spike suggests LG is now pushing the software to more models. The Microsoft Store listing grants the app access to the internet and all system resources, and LG’s broad privacy terms drew additional scrutiny. Dell does much the same thing, using Windows Update to install Alienware Command Center when it detects a compatible Alienware display or peripheral.

The underlying mechanism is Windows’ automatic download of applications tied to device metadata, which vendors are exploiting to bundle promotional software onto machines the moment compatible hardware connects. Users can shut it off via the Group Policy setting “Prevent automatic download of applications associated with device metadata” under Device Installation — though doing so also blocks legitimate monitor and peripheral utilities, which then have to be installed by hand.