Which software protects a computer against viruses by identifying and removing any computer viruses found in memory, on storage media, or on incoming files?

Which software protects a computer against viruses by identifying and removing any computer viruses found in memory, on storage media, or on incoming files?

• A. Antivirus program
• B. Firewall
• C. Anti-spyware software
• D. Backup software

Answer: (A)

An antivirus program protects a computer against viruses by identifying and removing viruses found in memory, on storage media, or in incoming files. It scans for known virus signatures and also uses behavior-based analysis to spot suspicious activity, catching both known threats and some new ones. When a virus is detected in RAM, on a hard drive or USB device, or in a downloaded file, the software can quarantine, delete, or repair the affected item to stop the infection from spreading. Keeping virus definitions up to date helps it recognize the latest threats and respond quickly. This is different from a firewall, which controls network traffic to block unauthorized access; anti-spyware software focuses specifically on spyware threats; and backup software creates copies of data to recover from loss, not to detect or remove malware.

An antivirus program protects a computer against viruses by identifying and removing viruses found in memory, on storage media, or in incoming files. It scans for known virus signatures and also uses behavior-based analysis to spot suspicious activity, catching both known threats and some new ones. When a virus is detected in RAM, on a hard drive or USB device, or in a downloaded file, the software can quarantine, delete, or repair the affected item to stop the infection from spreading. Keeping virus definitions up to date helps it recognize the latest threats and respond quickly.

This is different from a firewall, which controls network traffic to block unauthorized access; anti-spyware software focuses specifically on spyware threats; and backup software creates copies of data to recover from loss, not to detect or remove malware.