Which protection is designed to defend against malware and viruses?

• A. Antivirus Protection
• B. Firewall Protection
• C. User Audit Logs
• D. Scan Compressed Files

Answer: (A)

Antivirus protection is built to defend the endpoint from malicious software, including viruses, ransomware, spyware, and other threats. It continuously monitors files and program activity, uses virus definitions to recognize known malware and heuristics to spot unfamiliar or obfuscated threats, and can block execution, quarantine suspicious items, or remove them. Regular updates to the malware definitions keep it effective against new threats, and real-time protection helps catch problems as soon as they arrive, whether from downloads, email attachments, or removable media.

Firewalls control network traffic and can block suspicious connections, which helps prevent some threats from entering or spreading via the network, but they don’t scan the files on the endpoint or clean already-present malware. User audit logs record actions for accountability but don’t actively defend against malware. Scanning compressed files is a capability that antivirus tools may use, yet the fundamental protection designed to defend against malware and viruses is antivirus protection.