Why do some people say that 360 is rogue software?

[Discussion] American consulting company said that 360 browser beat IE with eight moves [See through Rogue 360].

According to foreign media reports, Digital Due Diligence (hereinafter referred to as DDD), an Internet consulting company in New York, USA, released a report on Wednesday, pointing out that Microsoft has been hoping that Internet users in China can give up IE6, but a competitor's browser has exceeded the sum of the market share of various IE versions. It is reported that Qihoo 360 security browser has occupied 57% market share in China.

DDD believes that Qihoo lured users to use 360 security browser through some improper means, and it has grown and developed in just three years. It should be pointed out that Qihoo's main business is security software, but most security software is free products. Almost all of Qihoo's revenue comes from hao.360.cn navigation websites and advertising clicks. This is also one of the main reasons why Citron, a short-selling institution, accused Qihoo 360. Citron said that this outdated navigation website will not last long. On the other hand, Qihoo has done a good job in this respect, attracting many inexperienced netizens.

360 security browser is also an indispensable part, which can attract advertising clicks and is an indispensable product of its security platform. It takes advantage of the inexperience of China netizens, infringes on personal privacy and even hijacks their choice of browsers.

The following are the main contents of the DDD report:

Last June, 1 1, Qihoo 360 security browser surpassed Microsoft IE and became the most widely used Internet browser in China. It not only gained 57% market share in three years, but also gained a dominant position in a record short time.

Qihoo is famous for its 360 security guard software. It used to be a traditional software company, but in 2008 it changed from selling security software to selling advertisements. The company provided products for free, which laid a huge user base, and expanded to online game portals, e-commerce websites, yellow pages and other fields, and launched various free software to attract more attention. Particularly noteworthy is the 360 security browser.

At present, Qihoo's main income comes from the advertisement of hao.360.cn, the default homepage of 360 security browser. Qihoo sells advertisements on this webpage and provides Google search for a fee. 20 1 1 In the third quarter, Qihoo's online advertising revenue was $3,565,438+million, up 227% year-on-year and 3 1% quarter-on-quarter.

When competitors promoted it by holding grassroots activities and recruiting campus ambassadors, Qihoo used its authority in security software to establish a strong distribution channel, and used netizens' concerns about computer security to install its own browser.

How does 360 secure browser become the first in the market?

I. Identifying similarities

The logo of 360 security browser is very similar to IE browser, except that IE is a blue logo, while 360 security browser is a green logo.

The logo of 360 security browser is very similar to IE browser.

Second, set it as the default browser when opening the link.

After the user clicks on the link in the chat tool or email, the 360 security software will pop up a dialog box asking the user to install the 360 browser.

Set as the default browser when opening the link.

Third, remind users that 360 browsers are more secure than IE.

Every time there is a security hole in IE browser, 360 security software will pop up a window to promote 360 browser. If IE fixes the security hole, 360 browser will recognize itself as a browser.

Remind users that 360 browsers are more secure than IE.

4. Other browsers will be rejected and set as default browsers.

When the user wants to install another browser, 360 Security Guard will allow the browser to be installed, but a pop-up window will pop up saying that it is not allowed to be set as the default browser.

Other browsers were rejected as default browsers.

Fifth, the system scanning score without installing 360 browser is low.

When 360 security guards scan the system, if 360 browser is not installed, the score will be very low. If the user wants to install another antivirus software to protect the browser security, then 360 security guards will immediately refuse.

The system scanning score without 360 browser is low.

Six, bundled and pre-installed software in the computer

360 browser can bind 360 security guards, and the dialog box cannot be closed intuitively. Most users just need to click "Next".

The software is bundled and pre-installed on the computer.

Seven, it is difficult to uninstall

If users want to uninstall 360 browser, they will face three choices: repair, switch to IE9, or uninstall directly. If the user chooses to switch to IE9, another dialog box will pop up after installation. After clicking "Next", 360 browser will be reinstalled and become the default browser.

360 browser is difficult to uninstall.

Eight, it is difficult to connect to the Internet after uninstalling. The example shows that the user can't connect to the Internet after uninstalling the 360 browser.

It is difficult to connect to the Internet after uninstalling.

Society teaches people not to question authority. In recent years, through continuous brand promotion, Qihoo has become an authority in the security field. When asking users to install or set the default browser, it makes full use of the idea of "eliminating hidden dangers". The company must continue to promote its products from a new angle to support the strong growth of advertising revenue. Qihoo can achieve this goal through technical support and improved service. Since May 20 1 1, the company has provided one-year free computer maintenance service, and provided services through remote control. Will Qihoo's computer engineers install 360 browser and set hao.360.cn as the default home page for maintenance? Another way is to optimize advertising services. Xu Yuli, CFO of Qihoo, said in an interview: "We use the huge share of the browser market to implement intelligent tracking projects in the browser, track the habits and hobbies of each user, and then send links that meet the user's preferences to the browser home page." Although providing free security software helped Qihoo win the honor of installing the most widely used browser, its brand-new advertising-supported business model was not smooth sailing. Recently, Qihoo was accused of fraud by short seller Citron, and will face similar promotion of its browser by companies such as sogou and Baidu in the future. Obviously, Qihoo will put all its businesses on the line.