Your Monitor Can Install Adware Now?

You plug in a new monitor. Windows detects the hardware, pulls down a vendor companion app, and the first thing you see is… a McAfee ad. That’s the story that kicks off this episode, but the bigger issue is not just one annoying popup.Hardware setup has become a software delivery channel. Drivers, companion apps, RGB utilities, printer suites, vendor dashboards, trialware, telemetry, ads, and startup apps can all arrive through a process most users think of as “just making the device work.” Tom, Scott, and Kevin discuss where convenience turns into bloatware, why user consent matters, and how these trusted installation paths could be abused for worse than advertising.The discussion also covers a related Krebs on Security story about LG smart TV apps that allowed televisions to be used as residential proxy nodes. If monitors, TVs, printers, keyboards, and other peripherals are really networked software platforms, then consumers need to treat them more like endpoints and less like harmless appliances.Practical advice: check what gets installed after connecting new hardware, review Windows Startup Apps, uninstall vendor utilities you do not need, dig through smart-TV privacy and ad settings, and segment smart devices away from the computers and phones you use for sensitive work.Special thanks to Guardsquare for sponsoring this episode! Guardsquare is the leader in mobile application security, with multi-layered protection for your Android and iOS apps. Learn more at Guardsquare.com.** Links mentioned on the show **Tom’s Hardware: Companies are now using automatic Windows installers to display adware through the Microsoft Store when you install new hardware https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/companies-are-now-using-automatic-windows-installers-to-display-adware-through-the-microsoft-store-when-you-install-new-hardware-customer-immediately-gets-mcafee-ads-on-their-pc-after-connecting-new-lg-monitor-heres-how-to-block-the-new-adsKrebs on Security: LG to Ban Residential Proxies from Smart TV Apps https://krebsonsecurity.com/2026/07/lg-to-ban-residential-proxies-from-smart-tv-apps/Hackread: LG monitors installing adware-like app on Windows PCs https://hackread.com/lg-monitors-install-adware-app-windows-pcs/** Watch this episode on YouTube **https://youtu.be/E-lsZbkbmI8** Become a Shared Security Supporter **Get exclusive access to bonus episodes, listen to new episodes before they are released, receive a monthly shout-out on the show, and get a discount code for 15% off merch at the Shared Security store. Become a supporter today by going to our YouTube channel's membership section: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg9CCDIYkDDqwEZ3UYaxjnA/join** Thank you to our sponsors! **SLNTVisit https://slnt.com to check out SLNT's amazing line of Faraday bags and other products built to protect your privacy. As a listener of this podcast you receive 10% off your order at checkout using discount code "sharedsecurity".** Subscribe and follow the podcast **Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SharedSecurityPodcastFollow us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sharedsecurity.bsky.socialFollow us on Mastodon: https://infosec.exchange/@sharedsecurityJoin us on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/SharedSecurityShow/Visit our website: https://sharedsecurity.netSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://sharedsecurity.net/subscribeSign-up for our email newsletter to receive updates about the podcast, contest announcements, and special offers from our sponsors: https://shared-security.beehiiv.com/subscribeLeave us a rating and review: https://ratethispodcast.com/sharedsecurity