What is the function of an antivirus program?

An antivirus program's main function is to detect and remove malicious software, commonly referred to as malware. This includes threats such as viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, and more. When a user installs an antivirus program, it continuously scans files and applications on the computer for signatures of known malware and suspicious behavior indicative of new or emerging threats.

The program uses various techniques to identify potential threats, including heuristic analysis, which looks for patterns that may signify malicious activity, and signature-based detection, which matches files against a database of known malware signatures. When malicious software is found, the antivirus can either quarantine the files, allowing the user to review them, or remove them entirely, thus protecting the integrity of the system and the user's data.

The other options relate to different aspects of system management or maintenance but do not directly involve the primary role of an antivirus program. Managing user access settings pertains to user permissions and security protocols, enhancing network speed focuses on improving connectivity and performance, and backing up data regularly ensures data redundancy and recovery but is not a function of antivirus software.