Antivirus (also known as antivirus software or antimalware) is a cybersecurity program designed to detect, block, and remove malicious software such as viruses, ransomware, spyware, trojans, and other forms of malware. Traditional antivirus primarily relies on signature‑based detection, meaning it compares files on a device against a database of known malware patterns.

Antivirus is designed to stop known malware threats before they infect an endpoint, though its scope is more limited than advanced EDR technologies.