Samsung Loads McAfee Antivirus Onto Smart TVs

AlphaAtlas

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TechSpot reports that Samsung is pre-installing Mcafee Security on its 2019 TVs because McAfee is paying them to do it. As the publication points out, Samsung TVs run the partially open source, largely Samsung developed Tizen OS, so whatever software McAfee installs won't have much in common with McAfee security suites on other platforms. Financial benefits aside, TechSpot believes there's no real reason to run a "McAfee Security" app on the TV when Samsung could just bake similar security measures into OS itself. The Samsung Smart TV app ecosystem is strictly controlled anyway, and any malicious actors that really wanted to target Tizen would just work around McAfee since they know it will be pre-installed.

Officially, here is Samsung's statement on the matter: McAfee extended its contract to have McAfee Security for TV technology pre-installed on all Samsung Smart TVs produced in 2019. Along with being the market leader in the Smart TV category worldwide, Samsung is also the first company to pre-install security on these devices, underscoring its commitment to building security in from the start. McAfee Security for TV scans the apps that run on Samsung smart TVs to identify and remove malware.


On a personal note, I've dealt with way too much Samsung bloatware in the past. Laptops, Blu-Ray players, TVs, Tablets, even peripherals and appliances... they've all come with trashy software, and I'm still salty about it.
 
I was really considering qdots when the real stuff went on sale but I guess it will be lg instead.

Every device you hook up to the TV supports all the same streaming functionality. I'll just be sure to keep my TV disconnected from the internet. I don't need ads (which I block at the firewall) or any other 'smart' TV features. I just need a good big display. Nothing else. Especially not some waste of cpu, virus scanner.
 
One of the reasons I keep sticking with projectors, even though the prices at the 86 inch are now very tempting.
 
Great, another thing that can bog down a system, cause more problems with apps, and in general make the device more obsolete quicker. I'm regretting buying a Note 9 a few months ago, this just makes me like Samsung even less...
 
Have mostly lg everything solely because I haven't had issues with any of it.

These stories make me feel more comfortable in my choices.

LG, the last unmonitized frontier
 
And the masses who buy Samsung will love the "Additional Security Feature"
 
I was literally debating between the LG C97 and the Samsung Q900 75 for my living room TV. My long adversarial relationship with McAfee just made that decision easy. If they decide to do this with the S10, I won't be nabbing one of those either.
 
Have mostly lg everything solely because I haven't had issues with any of it.

These stories make me feel more comfortable in my choices.

LG, the last unmonitized frontier

I have LG monitors, phone etc but I don't feel overly comfortable about the future as far as bloatware goes on any brand these days.
 
If a company feels the need to put an antivirus on their Smart TVs then they're doing it wrong in the first place.

And Mcafee Antivirus of all the shitty things! I may be talking out of my ass here since I haven't had to use them in years, but they were the absolute worst AV software in terms of bogging down a system I've ever seen.
 
They don't care what you think. This is to make the stock price of both companies go up, not produce a better product.
 
If you going integrate Antivirus at least use one that does something! McAfee is garbage, perhaps the worst Antivirus out there. It doesn't matter if they pay you to integrate it, if it's gonna make your product worse turn down the money. Bigger question is how McAfee is going to monetize this? Advertise to you on your TV that they are protecting you??? Yeah that's fun... No Samsung TVs for me!
 
This is sickening, they are clearly going after peoples heightened fears about security in a money grab for a new re-occurring money stream. Such bullshit and watch, it will be like a $4.99 a month type offering. And a lot of people will sign up for it.
 
So in other words McAffee will slowly consume and corrupt the TV to the point of not working in 6 months?

Your TV will develop a cocaine habit and start hoarding guns in your house - when you try to turn your TV on it will shoot at you and when you turn it off loud profanities will come from the speakers.
 
I was really considering qdots when the real stuff went on sale but I guess it will be lg instead.

I'd give Vizio and Sony a look as well/instead. Problem with LG's LCDs is they are doing RGBW but not properly doing it with 4 subpixels per pixel but only 3. So you have an RGB pixel then a WRG pixel, then a BWR pixel and go on. Fucks with the fine detail of things, particularly if you are using a computer with it. Not an issue with the OLEDs, they are RGBW but have 4 per pixel.

I got a Vizio P series personally and am pleased with its quality for the price. The P series Quantum looks really great and competes pretty well with Samsung's higher end displays.
 
If you all think the other brands don't have bloatware built in you'd be sorely mistaken. I'm willing to bet this has no effect on their sales and for those voting with their wallet not to buy Samsung then good for you. More customers should do this but at the end of the day it's not going to matter and Samsung will still be a leading contender in the field for phones and TV's. /timestamp
 
I remember when you bought a TV, unboxed it, plugged it in, raised up the rabbit ears and started watching. Now its buy it, unbox it, plug it in, check the remote, pair remote with other devices, put tape over the camera, fight with TV to keep it from doing crap you don't want it to do, wonder if it used the Facebook SDK and is reporting everything you do to FB, connect black cabling against a black background in the dark, fight with bloatware, worry about OS updates, etc. And this is a 'smart' TV?
 
I love Samsung phones but they are hella bloaty and proprietary. No thanks, I'll stick with LG for my OLED TVs.

I liked my previous Samsung phone. I went with the Pixel 2 and i'm never going back to samsung. So much unneeded crapware on those phones!
 
Is it going to bog down my video playing like how it does on my phone every time it scans my phone, EVERY F-in day!?
 
What the fuck? I am out.. No way sir, I will not put that piece of shit on my TV.
 
I still don't know if it's really worth it to pay for an AV vs using Windows Defender, considering you're a slightly better than average user.

And I've dumped Samsung at least 5 years ago. LG is just better: pure no frills good tech. Maybe rnot the best, but always good, and reasonably priced.
 
What is the purpose of smart TV-s? I mean I saw one recently, and it takes longer to boot than my computer.

And Mcafee should be added to the list of "potentially unwanted software" or adware in other AV programs at this point.
 
The dangers of running open source networked software in consumer appliances 101...
 
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