Brazilian largest antivirus service provider PSafe, in partnership with Chinese Internet company Qihoo 360, launches a new version of its flagship producers in Rio de Janeiro on July 29. PSafe CEO Marco De Mello (center) introduces the new products at a press conference. [Zhang Qiang/Xinhua]

A Brazilian antivirus service provider, in partnership with a Chinese company, has launched a new version of its flagship products in Rio de Janeiro on July 29.

Rio de Janeiro-based PSafe’s antivirus products are for Android and Windows. China’s Qihoo 360 has been a main investor and technology partner with PSafe.

The new products were jointly designed by PSafe and Qihoo 360 and help to strengthen Brazil’s cyber security, especially in banking, and continue to promote the expansion of Chinese Internet companies in Latin American markets.

“Cyber threats are a global concern and as such, we are proud to have Qihoo 360 as a strategic investor and technology partner in our fight to protect all users in Latin America,” said PSafe CEO Marco De Mello at a press conference.

The products are designed to provide solutions against new risks to cyber banking security, and include PC security guards, mobile guards, browsers and web navigation.

Internet security has drawn more and more attention in Brazil where there are near 90 million Internet users, and the country is becoming the third-largest PC market and fourth-largest mobile phone market in the world. However, the rapid spread of the Internet also has brought security threats toward cyber operations like cyber banking. Brazilian bank fraud cases almost doubled in the last two years, with 60 percent due to cyber attacks or fishing software traps.

In partnership with China’s Qihoo 360, PSafe’s cyber-safety products are in Portuguese and have occupied a 40-percent market share in Brazil, while the Spanish version is available in Mexico, Argentina and Chile.

De Mello said that with Chinese supporting technology, PSafe aims to occupy half of the Latin American market before the end of 2015.

Qihoo 360 has sent technicians to Brazil to provide technology support and has established research and development teams in Hong Kong and Beijing for PSafe.

Qihoo 360’s investment reflects the growing international ambition of Chinese Internet companies. Tencent, a leading Chinese Internet service company, also introduced its WeChat mobile communications platform in Brazil. While another China’s Internet giant Baidu also launched its Portuguese-language search engine in Brazil in July.

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