Free 360 Total Security, not bad at all.

[+Warwagon MVC]

360 Total Security

http://360safe.com/totalsecurity.html

 

 

 

 

As some of you have noticed, I have been responding to a few av threads regarding my 360 Total Security Experiences. I've always been a fan of Avast, stretching back quite a ways. I've never liked AVG or Microsoft Security Essentials. So a month or so ago I installed 360 Total Security on my dual monitor couch computer in replacement of Avast to try it out.

 

Over all I've been very happy, while Avast is great, I hate the fact you always have to register the stupid thing one a year for reasons I still don't quite understand. They also popup update notifications even though I've told them not to.

 

360 Total security is very Quiet. The only time it nags you about anything is to tell you how fast (or not)your boot time was, but even that is easily disabled via a single check mark box in settings. It does alert you when viruses defs have been updated but they do so via a VERY small unobtrusive bubble, which i'm sure you can turn off.

 

It also uses 5 Scanning Engines

 

360 Cloud Scan Engine

System repair engine (pretty much a junk file cleanup of sorts)

QVMII AI Engine

Bit Defender (optional)

Avira (optional)

 

You turn on Bit Defender and Avira under Virus scan. At the bottom you click on the B and A and move the slider to on.

 

Recently i've replaced Avast with 360 Total Security on most of my computers. I also booted up 2 Windows 7 VM's. One with Avast and one with 360 Total Security. I then proceeded to do what any normal person would do. I did a search for Firefox, Avast and one other application via Google. I then clicked on the very first link I saw which was an ad of course, and proceed to try to install it. By install, I just wanted to see if either would let me start to run the poo pack setup.

 

360 total Security detected and deleted all 3 poo packs.

 

Avast missed all 3 poo packs. I then turned on (or thought I Turned on) PUP detection in avast and it still missed it. Which is strange, because I uploaded all of them to virus total, and virus total told me Avast should have been able to detect one of them.

 

So I would be curious for anyone currently running a Free AV other than 360 total Security to maybe install it and report back to others.

 

 

v1.45

[Draconian Guppy]

Poo packs?

 

What's memory usage compared to avast? And are there other sites that compare all the engines used? I imagine using all those engines at one time is memory consuming? ( I know, modern systems come with huge amounts of ram and processing power, I just want my AV to be as streamlined as possible)

[xendrome]

I dunno I just checked it out, first quick things I noticed.

 

1: It wants to install extra Microsoft KB updates for Windows 8.1 in the "Patch up" section, which are not showing up for me in Windows 8.1 Windows Update.

2: It's trying to tell me under "Speed Up" to disable my Google Software Update services, Adobe Update Service (3rd Party) and then Microsoft stuff it is saying disable "Encrypting File System", "Windows Font Cache Service" ad "Distributed Link Tracking Client" 

 

So it wants me to basically run an outdated version of Chrome/Adobe Reader, that seems safe.

 

Oh also it wants to tweak my MTU, DNS, WINS, etc etc which are all snake-oil settings from Windows 95/98 days.

 

Uninstalled.

[+Warwagon MVC]

Poo packs?

 

What's memory usage compared to avast? And are there other sites that compare all the engines used? I imagine using all those engines at one time is memory consuming? ( I know, modern systems come with huge amounts of ram and processing power, I just want my AV to be as streamlined as possible)

 

Poo packs is a new term, that Neowin (Me) coined for installers that bundle numerous pieces of crap with the installer of something you googled on the internet. The sort of thing you get when you type in avast in firefox and you click on the first ad.

 

You are correct that this AV does use more memory than Avast. It uses more than avast but still less than AVG. At the moment i'm showing 63 megs of memory usage. When checking AVG it was using around 150. Though i'm not noticing any noticeable slow down.

[sc302 Veteran]

If you have comcast, they offer symantecs norton 360 or rebranded to norton security suite for free to their users.

 

http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/internet/downloading-the-norton-security-suite/

[+Warwagon MVC]

If you have comcast, they offer symantecs norton 360 or rebranded to norton security suite for free to their users.

 

http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/internet/downloading-the-norton-security-suite/

 

That is another one i've never really liked. I've found the Regular norton AV to be ok but I hate the IS or 360 versions.

[HawkMan]

Memory is the least of my concerns with AV. it's the runaway CPU usage a lot of them, Avast and Avira included go on about. 20-30% cpu just to the AV on a 6 core system when downloading something, or worse when patching or installing something, some of these will literally make an install choke and take hours instead of minutes. 

[Draconian Guppy]

Poo packs is a new term, that Neowin (Me) coined for installers that bundle numerous pieces of crap with the installer of something you googled on the internet. The sort of thing you get when you type in avast in firefox and you click on the first ad.

 

You are correct that this AV does use more memory than Avast. It uses more than avast but still less than AVG. At the moment i'm showing 63 megs of memory usage. When checking AVG it was using around 150. Though i'm not noticing any noticeable slow down.

Aye IIRC I think i've read a member who has it in his sig.

 

Yeah, I stopped using AVG, because added bloat just kept adding and adding unnecessary bloat.

[HawkMan]

That is another one i've never really liked. I've found the Regular norton AV to be ok but I hate the IS or 360 versions.

 

Norton ever since the 2009 version when they finally recovered from the disaster that was 2007 and earlier has been one of the smoothest and most optimized AV's I've run. it did have one hickup where it would make mail retrieval near impossible one and a half to two years back though. 

 

It is the only AV I've used in the last few years that won't do runaway CPU hogging. as for the IS version, I don't mind it's just the AV plus a firewall. I don't care much for the firewall but it's no big deal and can easily be disabled. same witht he 360 which is more or less the only version you can really buy today, anything extra can be disabled. Though some of it can be annoying. And I never saw the point in AV packs to first scan your internet traffic, then your "web" traffic" then your mail traffic, and somewhere in thee memory and HDD activity. basically your poor e-mail gets scanned at LEAST 3 times often 4 or 5 before you get to read it in some of these internet security packages :)

Poo packs is a new term, that Neowin (Me) coined for installers that bundle numerous pieces of crap with the installer of something you googled on the internet. The sort of thing you get when you type in avast in firefox and you click on the first ad.

 

You are correct that this AV does use more memory than Avast. It uses more than avast but still less than AVG. At the moment i'm showing 63 megs of memory usage. When checking AVG it was using around 150. Though i'm not noticing any noticeable slow down.

 

The correct term is a PUP. Potentially Unwanted Program. 

[+Warwagon MVC]

The correct term is a PUP. Potentially Unwanted Program. 

 

Technically they install PUP's but the installer it's self is a poo pack. Though others call the installers pups.

[Rippleman]

i second this assessment, if you are looking the best FREE real-time protection, this 360 total security (roughly ~25 megs) and its full featured 360 total internet security (roughly ~225 megs) is all you ever have to look for. Although it is the best I have tested (of the free a/v's out there) it does miss somethings that Malwarebytes (free scanner) can easily pick up and remove. In 360's defense, all the other major Av's (est, avast, norton, kaspersly etc) missed more then 360. So for a 100% FREE solution, get the 360 + free malwarebytes and feel good for the rest of your day! :)

[Luc2k]

I dunno I just checked it out, first quick things I noticed.

 

1: It wants to install extra Microsoft KB updates for Windows 8.1 in the "Patch up" section, which are not showing up for me in Windows 8.1 Windows Update.

2: It's trying to tell me under "Speed Up" to disable my Google Software Update services, Adobe Update Service (3rd Party) and then Microsoft stuff it is saying disable "Encrypting File System", "Windows Font Cache Service" ad "Distributed Link Tracking Client" 

 

So it wants me to basically run an outdated version of Chrome/Adobe Reader, that seems safe.

 

Oh also it wants to tweak my MTU, DNS, WINS, etc etc which are all snake-oil settings from Windows 95/98 days.

 

Uninstalled.

Ended up with a similar conclusion when I tried it. I also made the mistake of pressing the "do everything" button which removed several legitimate programs from startup without prompt and with no way of restoring.

[+Warwagon MVC]

Ended up with a similar conclusion when I tried it. I also made the mistake of pressing the "do everything" button which removed several legitimate programs from startup without prompt and with no way of restoring.

 

The 5.0 beta, which i'm using now, does have a details button before you tell it to finish the cleanup so you can see and uncheck what you don't want it to remove.

[Raa]

Had a bit of fun with this in the past, and now it's on my automatic removal list.

 

I'll stick with ESET's product line-up. (Y)

[NEVER85]

Yeah I gave it a shot. This is crap.

[+Warwagon MVC]

Yeah I gave it a shot. This is crap.

 

Junk file remover / tune up part of the app, yes crap, but not the AV.

[Ian W]

Thank you for posting this Warwagon, but I see no reason to move from Avira itself. It has always run well for me even though it can be resource intensive at times.

[+Warwagon MVC]

So I emailed them and commented on their Facebook page recommending that they stop detecting the Google and Adobe updater as bad and disabling them when you do a speedup scan. Today I was notified that they did like my comment, on their Facebook page so there's that.

[+BudMan MVC]

So does anyone else think installing such software from a CN company might not be a great idea

 

I wouldn't install that on any of my systems if you PAID ME...  Just my 2 cents.

[spy beef]

I think the Chinese government now has access to all your files and personal information.

[+Warwagon MVC]

I emailed them and got a response back.

 

My email to them

 

Great Antivirus. The only improvement I see that should be made, is when doing a computer checkup. This program by default recommends disabling the Google update and Adobe updater services. Meaning that these applications won't update automatically keeping the user safe by having the latest versions. At the moment after a scan, it recommends they be turned off. I think they should not detect these services as issues.
 

.......

 

Their Response back

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your support to 360 Total Security.

 

Sorry for the late reply.

 

360 Total Security recommends disable the updater of Google and Adobe, this can  help user to manage and optimize your system services, boot up items and plugins - Shorten your boot time and get going sooner. This behavior won't affect the use of Google and Adobe software.

 

In one word, please do what you want according your own idea.

 

So again, thank you and please feel free to contact us anytime you have any question or suggestion about our product.

 

--------

 

My response back to them ...

 

That's great, but for the average user it helps keep their Flash and Chrome current. If their flash isn't being updated automatically they are left with a vulnerable version of flash which can be exploited on the internet and is horribly insecure.

While disabling those services won't affect the use of Google and Adobe, it will render them insure as future updates get released. (which they won't get automatically because 360 disabled those services)

I think a user would prefer they have a slightly longer boot time, than having their computer security look like Swiss cheese.

 

[Dashel]

I pass on any AV that tries to be more than that.  Memory use is largely irrelevant, its the CPU and I/O theft that annoys most.

[HawkMan]

Chrome will update when it's running anyway so it won't really be insecure, and flash will inform if there's an update available when you start it, or sometimes when you start the browser and it initializes the plugin, besides that, the AV should block any attack vectors using those anyway, except for the very first say 12 hours of a zero day attack, and well firstly you're going to be extremely unlucky to be hit with that, and secondly a patch to fix the hole for a zero day attack comes days later, the AV is updated on the same or next day usually. 

 

so I'd say you're kinda making mountains our of molehills there. 

[+Warwagon MVC]

Chrome will update when it's running anyway so it won't really be insecure, and flash will inform if there's an update available when you start it, or sometimes when you start the browser and it initializes the plugin, besides that, the AV should block any attack vectors using those anyway, except for the very first say 12 hours of a zero day attack, and well firstly you're going to be extremely unlucky to be hit with that, and secondly a patch to fix the hole for a zero day attack comes days later, the AV is updated on the same or next day usually. 

 

so I'd say you're kinda making mountains our of molehills there. 

 

Only time i've seen Adobe prompt you to update flash is when Windows boots up. Most users don't restart that often and just sleep. Add to the fact if the Adobe updater did appear after getting so much adware in the past they are scared to click on anything and usually just cancel it.

[HawkMan]

Only time i've seen Adobe prompt you to update flash is when Windows boots up. Most users don't restart that often and just sleep. Add to the fact if the Adobe updater did appear after getting so much adware in the past they are scared to click on anything and usually just cancel it.

 

opera has given me flash update warning when I start the browser, did it on 3 different computers recently so