360 Secure Browser

Android, iOS

360 Secure Browser (360 Security Browser) or 360 Safe Browser () is a web browser developed by the Qihoo company of Beijing, China. Version 1.0 was released in July 2008 (first non-beta release; first beta in changelog is from April).

The browser by default renders the webpage using the WebKit-based engine adapted for Google Chrome, Blink, and when running in compatibility mode, it renders webpages using the Trident engine found in Internet Explorer.{{Cite web | access-date = 2017-06-21 | access-date = 2017-06-21

Webkit-based engine was introduced in 2010 (dual-engine with Trident), as the 360 Extreme Browser (). In the 360 Secure Browser it was added in 2012, in version 6.

Market share

In January 2011, Qihoo claimed that it was the second most popular web browser in China (after Internet Explorer), with 172 million monthly active users, 44.1% of Internet users in China. StatCounter claims that the true figure is between 2-7%. StatCounter reported that the Qihoo browser was the 5th most popular browser in the United States. Its main competitors in China are the Sogou High-Speed Browser () by Sogou, CM Browser, QQ Browser by Tencent, Baidu Browser and Maxthon.

, the latest versions of 360 Secure Browser do not offer a distinguishable user-agent string. It spoofs itself either as Google Chrome or Internet Explorer, making it difficult for developers to target or identify.

Controversies

Main article: Criticism of Qihoo 360

In 2012, a whistleblower reported a hidden backdoor in 360 Secure Browser. The Product Director of 360 Secure Browser, Tao Weihua, accused the whistleblower of "smearing 360 on behalf of Baidu", which the whistleblower said was "the worst professional response in history". Independent analysis of the claim showed that the browser has an "undeclared mechanism (i.e., via ExtSmartWiz.dll) which connects to the server on a regular basis (e.g., every 5 minutes), and allows it to download files of any type (including executables) from the server." | access-date = 2017-06-21 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140327065357/http://www.valleytalk.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Independent-Report-on-Alledged-Hidden-Backdoor-in-Qihoo-360-Secure-Browser-v1.4.pdf | archive-date = 27 March 2014 | url-status = dead

This and other controversies surrounding Qihoo eventually led to the temporary pulling of their products from the iOS App Store.{{Cite news | access-date = 2017-06-21

High usage numbers may be due to the browser being difficult to uninstall, its parent product 360 Safeguard frequently recommending it and a warning pop-up that appears when a user attempts to install another browser, falsely claiming that the other browser is unsafe and should not be run.

References

References

1. "【SE13正式版】360安全浏览器内核升级到Chromium 86——12月27日更新".
2. "360 Safe Browser - Safe, Fast, Stable".
3. (17 September 2008). "Qihoo Formally Launches Web Browser Product In China". Asia Media Network.
4. (29 March 2011). "IPO Pick of the Week: Qihoo 360 Tech". Seeking Alpha Ltd.
5. (2008-09-14). "360安全浏览器更新日志".
6. (2010-08-29). "极速不安全？ 360 浏览器极速版三大猜想".
7. (2010-09-25). "360安全浏览器 - 360浏览器".
8. "欢迎使用360极速浏览器".
9. (2012-10-25). "360安全浏览器".
10. "Amendment No. 2 To Form F-1 Registration Statement".
11. "Top 6 Desktop, Tablet & Console Browsers in China from Jan 2012 to Jan 2013". StatCounter.
12. "Weird science: How shaky web usage reports distort our view of tech markets". CBS Interactive.
13. "9 Evil Tactics Used by 360 Safe Browser to Beat IE in China".
14. "How Qihoo 360 Won the Browser War in China".