In the latest ranking of the best antivirus for protection and performance there is the name of a relatively new and free program that has received higher scores than most famous antivirus like AVG, Avast or Norton. It is Qihoo 360 Internet Security, an extremely solid solution to protect your computer from any virus and malware thanks to the use of three detection engines, the proprietary one, Avira's and Bitdefender's.
The nice thing about this antivirus is that it is completely free, without premium versions, only the free one.
360 Total Security antivirus can be downloaded and installed.
360 Total Security is the PC version of the antivirus, complete with additional tools to optimize the PC.
The antivirus included in the Total Security suite has many customization options .
The traditional antivirus, very simple to use, only to install (without deception and sponsors), to update by pressing on the Update link of the main interface and to keep running in the background.
The program offers real-time system protection and proactive defense to catch any malware before it can do damage, protection on USB ports, protection of internet browsing and downloaded files, antikeylogger and webcam protection (to block malware who turn it on to spy on users).
You can manually scan your computer's virus files quickly, completely or individually, only for certain folders such as the desktop or documents.
From the button at the top right you can access the antivirus settings, very simple to understand, which, unless special needs, it is not necessary to change.
360 Internet Security also provides two additional tools: the Sandbox to run programs in protected mode, good for trying new software that can hide some malware and the Cleaner, to clean up the system of obsolete files.
You will notice that the file to download to install 360 Total Security is much smaller than that of 360 Internet Security simply because it does not include the real time malware detection engines that must be installed, optionally, during the configuration phase.
When the main interface opens, click on Protection On and then on the Configure button on the right.
Depending on your preferences, you can choose to have basic protection to ensure that the program has minimal impact on computer performance, balanced protection that adds automatic scanning of downloaded files, Security mode, which enables detection engines Avira and Bitdefender realtime malware, Custom mode, to choose, one by one, the functions to be activated (and, for example, disable one of the two mreal time protection engines ).
Activating the Security mode you have a real and complete antivirus (similar to that of 360 Internet Security which, in addition to Bitdefender, does not use Avira but a proprietary engine).
As mentioned, 360 Total Security also has other tools, including, in addition to the Virus Scan and the File Cleaner, one to optimize the computer's performance automatically .
Pressing on Speedup you can check elements from the automatic start of the computer, from the services, from the scheduled operations.
The program also gives advice on what to do with each detected element and allows you to choose to apply the corrections all at once or manually.
In the analysis of the Speedup there are also controls to optimize the internet connection with system changes that I recommend trying, to improve the speed of uploading and downloading.
Finally, in ToolBox there are other tools: to check for system patches to be installed, to use a Sandbox and to delete the installation files of previous updates.
In this screen you can also vote on the function that should be added to the program.
Ultimately, 360 Total Security is a great free program (the only possible defect is that the company is Chinese) which, with an elegant and clear interface, which can be used as a light antivirus or even as a serious antivirus depending on the preferences and needs.
UPDATE: Quihoo 360 Internet Security is no longer for PC.
360 Internet Security is now an antivirus only for Android and iPhone smartphones and tablets.
