Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The primary function of antivirus software is to protect against virus attacks, which involves detecting, preventing, and removing malicious software and viruses from a computer system. This protective measure is crucial because viruses can corrupt or damage files, steal personal information, and take control of a system, leading to significant security breaches and data loss.

Antivirus software achieves this by continuously scanning files, programs, and applications for known threats using a database of virus definitions. It often includes real-time protection features that monitor system activities for suspicious behavior, allowing it to act quickly to neutralize potential threats as they arise. By maintaining the integrity of the system and safeguarding data, antivirus software plays a vital role in overall cybersecurity.

The other options are not central to the function of antivirus software. Enhancing processor speed pertains to performance optimization, managing network traffic relates to networking software and protocols, and backing up system data is associated with data recovery solutions. All of these functions serve important roles but do not directly relate to the core purpose of antivirus software.