BEIJING, April 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. ("Qihoo 360" or the "Company") (NYSE: QIHU), a leading Internet company in China, today announced that its flagship security solution, 360 Safeguard XP Shield, withstood 13 hours of continuous attacks during an organized hacker contest, while two other security systems from Tencent and Cheetah Mobile (formerly Kingsoft Internet Software) were breached in less than two minutes.

To test the readiness of Chinese online security solutions against potential threats, eRange Lab (www.erangelab.com), the largest Massive Open Online Experiment (MOOE) on cyber security in China, organized The XP Challenger Contest. The contest brought together 178 "white-hat" hackers and security experts from around the world who were allowed 13 hours to attack three sets of Windows XP PCs being protected by Qihoo 360's 360 Safeguard XP Shield, Tencent's Computer Manager XP Special Edition, and Cheetah Mobile's Duba Antivirus XP Protection Shield, respectively. Qihoo 360's system was able to withstand 13 hours of continuous attacks without a single breach, while Tencent's system was breached in 57 seconds and Cheetah Mobile's system was breached in less than two minutes. By 9:00 PM on April 5, 2014 in Beijing, the official end of the competition, thirteen breaches had been registered against Cheetah Mobile, and nine breaches were registered against Tencent. Qihoo 360's system was not breached during the contest.

"The outcome of The XP Challenger contest is a significant victory for Qihoo 360," said Mr. Xiangdong Qi, President of Qihoo 360. "It demonstrates Qihoo 360's substantial leadership in security technology and product reliability. It further strengthens "360" as the most trustworthy brand in PC and mobile security in China and globally."

Microsoft has announced that it will cease providing technical support for its Windows XP operating system beginning April 8, 2014. There are still over 200 million Windows XP-based computer users in China. Qihoo 360 is cooperating with Microsoft to provide ongoing extended security protection to hundreds of millions XP users in China.

About Qihoo 360
Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. (NYSE: QIHU) is a leading Internet company in China. The Company is also the number one provider of Internet and mobile security products in China as measured by its user base, according to iResearch. Qihoo 360 also provides users with secure access points to the Internet via its market leading web browsers and application stores. The Company has built one of the largest open Internet platforms in China and monetizes its massive user base primarily through online advertising and through Internet value-added services on its open platform.

Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward- looking statements by terminology such as "will," "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates" and similar statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about Qihoo 360 and the industry. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the Company's ability to continue to innovate and provide attractive products and services to attract and retain users; the Company's ability to keep up with rapid changes in technologies and Internet-enabled devices; the Company's ability to leverage its user base to attract customers for our revenue-generating services; and the Company's dependence on online advertising for a substantial portion of our revenues; and the Company's ability to compete effectively. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of the press release, and Qihoo 360 undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although Qihoo 360 believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that its expectations will turn out to be correct, and investors are cautioned that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties faced by Qihoo 360 is included in Qihoo 360's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F dated April 19, 2013.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd.
In China:
Tel: +86 10-5878-1574
E-mail: ir@360.cn

In the U.S.:
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Brandi Piacente
Tel: (212) 481-2050
E-mail: qihu@tpg-ir.com

SOURCE Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd.