This Antivirus is the Number-One contender on the block

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Last updated by George.J on 09. October 2014 - 16:10

360 SECURITY

There are plenty of antivirus products on the web and you might have your own favorites. Earlier this year, 360 Security came from nowhere to beat most of the top rated antivirus products that's been there for a long time now. The product has been getting rave reviews from all quarters by independent labs and users alike. 

It has achieved Advanced+ awards for Real-time protection, Performance and File detection tests at AV-Comparitives. At AV-Test it has secured the perfect 6/6 for Usability and Performance and 5.5/6 for Protection in the Total Scores. 

For Windows PC's users, Qihoo has provided 360 Internet Security and 360 Total Security, and is also available for Mac's and Android. We will look into the Total Security version in this review. 

Start Tab

Provides you with a one click examine button for Speedup, Cleanup, Virus scan and Wifi security checks.

Virus Scan

360TS has integrated 5 antivirus engines in one, the Cloud Scan engine, QVMII engine and System Repair engine all by Qihoo which are all present after product installation. The default engines work well if you are always connected online. Avira and BitDefender engines aren't enabled by default, simply hover on the their respective icons and clicking on the switch, will download their virus definitions and works well when you're offline. But first you need to enable these engines in the Protection tab to use their definitions.

Like most antivirus protection, there's 3 different types of scan modes: Quick, Full and Custom scans. The Quick scan completes in 5 stages and covers your System settings, Common applications, Running processes, Start-up items and various Critical System files displaying each stage to the user as scan goes on.
 

Speed-up and Clean-up Tools

The security suite also provides you with a Speedup tool, for optimizing boot-up applications, system and application services, scheduled tasks and network parameters for faster browsing. There's also a Cleanup tool to save disk space on your PC by cleaning up the junks files browser plug-ins and make your PC run efficiently.

Protection Modes

Here you can switch Qihoo to work in 3 different protection modes: Performance, Balanced and Security modes. You may choose to enable or disable various protection parameters

  1. Privacy protection
    • Webcam protection
  2. Internet protection
    • Download file scan
    • Online shopping protection
    • Malicious website blocking
  3. System protection
    • USB drive protection
    • Network threat blocking
    • Malicious behaviour blocking
    • File system protection
    • Registry protection
    • Scan file when saved
    • Scan file when opened
    • Use Bitdefender scan engine
    • Use Avira scan engine

Tool Box

The Toolbox consists of the Patch Up and Sand Box utilties, and shows the votes for most wanted features to be included in the ToolBox by the community.

The sandbox feature lets you run and test suspicious applications without compromising your system’s security. The patch-up feature warns you about the various Windows updates that you need to install and keep your computer safe.

PRO's

  • Clean installer
  • Nice user inferface
  • Lightning fast installation
  • High proactive defense
  • Top notch detection rates
  • Very good zero day protection
  • USB drive protection
  • Good sandbox
  • Decent malicious/phishing websites protection
  • Very light (360IS), moderately light (360TS)
  • Frequent updates

CON's

  • Firewall is missing 
  • RAM usage is high on enabling Bitdefender and Avira engines
  • High proactive defense calls for user intervention sometimes.
  • Low offline protection when both Bitdefender and Avira engines disabled (360TS)

BOTTOM LINE

If you're low on system resources I'd recommend 360IS which is much lighter, and for others 360TS should work well. Qihoo has decided to concentrate on the 360TS version, which means 360IS version will just be having minor updates until it's demise. Qihoo doesn't bundle or display any adware during or after installation. Whichever version you choose to use, Qihoo provides awesome protection at no cost. 

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Comments

Try GlassWire. It has a simple firewall, although not your typical one, but mainly a Network Security monitor, it's a lovely tool to see what apps uses your network, and this too in incredible detail. You could use it with Windows Firewall and will notify you whenever an application tries to connect to the internet. It was posted as a Hot Find last month here: See How Your PC Uses The Internet In Incredible Detail

All Antivirus are worst then 99.9% of the viruses. They are a constant annoyance, and the apps that have a greater impact on your PC. I am a veteran, started way before Windows even existed. Never had a virus panic, some minor inconveniences nothing more. Never used one of these over-bloated programs, which are, generally, worse then the viruses they are supposed to be protecting against.
The best Antivirus on the planet is common sense, and an array of small purpose-built programs to occasionally check your system. Never any program that has an active presence, and eats up huge amounts of resources.
Cheers.

You make some good points but your reasoning, while perfectly sound, cannot be applied to most people.
Sadly we are now living in a world of kamikaze Facebookers where common sense seems to be, at best, in short supply. It think it's a bit unrealistic to expect the majority of computer users to have the same level of experience, knowledge and as you say, common sense as a veteran user such as yourself....or myself.
Generally speaking, most people who get their machines infected deserve it because they can't be bothered to spend a couple of hours gaining some knowledge. They are too busy re-tweeting vacuous garbage or validating their own existence through the medium of posting found content on some NSA/GCHQ proxy surveillance site like Facebook. You don't seriously expect these people to have a common sense approach to using the web? Really?:D

Peace out, g.

@Northwolfecnd
As another old timer I mostly agree.
I want to add that a GOOD anti virus program is just that, anti virus, and not a nanny that attempts to protect people from themselves. Has never worked and never will work.
But at this time and age running a home computer without a resident anti virus program? IMHO Highly risky for the average Jean/Joe.
My thousands of customers over 11 years never had a problem with Microsoft Security Essentials resp. Windows Defender on Win8/10.

Qihoo's track record doesn’t seem encouraging. All seven apps of Qihoo’s were removed from Apple’s App Store in Feburary 2012 for manipulating rankings. In January 2013, its apps except the cloud-based storage app were taken off from the App Store again. - http://bit.ly/1o1wucD

This is old news... Since then... These applications were taken offline by Apple from its iTunes App Store on February 4, 2012 due to unusual user rating activities by unknown sources on certain Qihoo 360 applications. The Company directly contacted Apple officials in the United States on February 6, 2012 and resolved the issue. Apple started the process of reinstating Qihoo 360's mobile applications shortly thereafter. The Company was not asked to modify any of these applications.

A more recent opinion, by Bleeping Computer General Moderator:

Qihoo is a Chinese-based provider of free security and Anti-virus software (360 Total Security, 360 Internet Security, 360 Browser, 360 Security, 360 Mobile Safe, 360 Vault, etc). There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Qihoo to include it's reporting other anti-virus software and search tools as being malicious, deceptive marketing practices and various privacy issues. http://bit.ly/ZhTFU6

The comment being made by the moderator references to pre-dated articles so it's not something that's recent. Back in China, there is a cut throat competition among the various AV vendors and technological companies. They have been known to run smear campaigns with sometimes false info against each other. If you simply take a look at every country's Antivirus market, there is indeed tough competition, but that doesn't mean that every company suddenly started offering other software's free of cost. Most top AV products has a paid version, but not Qihoo (and Baidu). Qihoo always believed that their antivirus software should be free for the users. They are just attacking them because they are jealous of their successful business model where nobody thought it would be possible. Now Qihoo is also expanding globally and they hate it that's why. Time and again representatives at Qihoo has clarified these reports such as these: http://corp.360.cn/news/eng/qihoo360article_c2.html

I agree with those pointing to what's missing, especially the missing firewall, which continues to lack a lot of freeware choices. I also look at PUP detection needing an increase in strength, not a weakened version.

Sigh! But I do appreciate the review.

I've corrected about the weak PUP detection in the article, and removed it from CON's. I've tested with few more samples, and Qihoo did detect them all. The detection is good especially if you've all the engines online. Honestly PUP's are hard to detect, and even so it could lead to false-positives, which is why most antiviruses has this option turned off by default.
Submitted by SwanKnight (not verified) on

Seems interesting, but since an integrated "Firewall" is crucial to me, "ZoneAlarm® Free Antivirus + Firewall 2015" seems to be a solid/better option.

Qihoo uses, as an option, the BitDefender and Avira engines!? I'm astonished that those two companies aren't suing them right this moment.

It's not against any policies. Antivirus OEM partners with BitDefender can use Antimalware, Antispam and other SDK's into their product, for endpoint, cloud and network protection. They have licensed it and not copied it. The same goes for Avira. http://www.bitdefender.com/oem/sdk-integration.html Here's a list (from 2013) of other products that uses BitDefender.

Good day,

Shouldn't the 'Best Free Antivirus' review be updated, accommodating these discussed programs?

Regards,

Agreeing with Zenegog, really need an update of top freeware and paid AV, preferably those truly clean and without added nonsense such as registry cleaners, etc.
To a good week,

I second that; my question exactly.

How is this a con - RAM usage is high on enabling Bitdefender and Avira engines , that should be obvious if you are enabling 2 engines

It is always good to state the facts because many people will not make connections that seem obvious to others. In this case, it is a very significant change if you enable multiple engines. @George.J, thanks for the info.

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