New Update 360 Total Security Updates

And we have a new look :)


1780431664029.png
 
What ever happened to roger_m? Did he delete his account? He was a big supporter of 360 and other Chinese AVs. Sad that he is gone if it so be it.

I looks like his account is still active, if you do a member search you can find his posts, the last one being on Jan 14th of this year.
Maybe he's taking a forum break, but thanks for mentioning it, as I didn't realize it had been awhile for him.

 
Hi just wanted to ask is this av still reliable and is it worth trying on win11?
I have tested this in VM, and the amount of bloatware it wan't you to install is insane, and even that 360 Apphub is huge, they offer free 360 browser nowadays, feels like chinese spyware, interesting fact is that they offer business lineup. very shady when talking about privacy. UI looks more clean and overall better but again the privacy is the problem and fear of the involment of the chinese goverment.
 
Here is Gemini's point of view:

Yes, 360 Total Security is owned and developed by Qihoo 360, a major internet security company headquartered in Beijing, China.

While framing it as a cartoonish "covert operation specifically deployed to steal Western data" oversimplifies how it works, the reality of its ownership, data policies, and technical history gives corporate network administrators and security-conscious users plenty of reasons to steer clear of it.

The primary concerns surrounding the software boil down to three main categories:

1. Data Collection & Geopolitics​

As a Chinese company, Qihoo 360 operates under China's National Intelligence Law, which mandates that domestic companies must cooperate with national intelligence efforts if requested. Like many "freemium" utilities, the software relies heavily on extensive telemetry and user data collection to sustain its business model. Furthermore, Qihoo 360 was added to the U.S. Department of Commerce Entity List and designated by the U.S. Department of Defense as a "Chinese military company," heavily restricting its use within Western government and critical infrastructure environments.

2. Aggressive Monetization and "Adware" Behavior​

In Western markets, 360 Total Security functions essentially as a freemium optimization suite. It is notorious for behavior that mimics Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs):

  • Bundling third-party software (like toolbars or alternative office suites) without explicit user intent.
  • Pushing aggressive pop-ups, advertisement modules, and system "cleaners" designed to scare users into upgrading to a paid tier.
  • Silently modifying system settings (like changing default browser homepages or search engines) to generate affiliate revenue.

3. Subpar Security & Historical Controversies​

From a pure technical defense perspective, the software does not stack up against modern, native options:

  • The Testing Scandal: Major independent testing bodies (AV-Comparatives, AV-TEST, and Virus Bulletin) stripped Qihoo 360 of its certifications after discovering the company rigged its submissions. They provided a build configured to use an integrated Bitdefender engine for the benchmarks, while the actual consumer version shipped with their significantly less effective in-house engine (QVM).
  • CA Mismanagement: Through a series of acquisitions, Qihoo 360 gained control of the StartCom and WoSign Certificate Authorities. Following a pattern of un-disclosed ownership changes and backdated/misissued SSL certificates, major browser vendors (including Google, Mozilla, and Apple) completely revoked trust in their certificates.

The Bottom Line​

An antivirus requires deep, kernel-level access to your operating system to function. Granting that level of privilege to a closed-source product with a history of deceptive testing practices, heavy ad-bundling, and legal obligations to a foreign intelligence apparatus introduces unnecessary risk.

For modern environments, standard built-in defenses like Windows Defender combined with robust configuration practices (like application whitelisting and attack surface reduction) offer superior security without the baggage.