What is a common function of Anti-malware software?

Anti-malware software plays a crucial role in cybersecurity by offering protection against hostile software, which includes viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, and other types of malicious code that can compromise system security or perform harmful activities. The primary function of this software is to detect, prevent, and remove these threats from devices.

By employing various detection methods, including signature-based detection, heuristic analysis, and behavior-based monitoring, anti-malware software can identify and address potential dangers before they cause significant damage. This is essential for maintaining the integrity of systems and safeguarding sensitive data from unauthorized access or corruption.

The other options, while related to cybersecurity, do not directly encapsulate the core function of anti-malware software. For instance, inspecting outbound traffic or helping with data loss prevention represents functions that might be fulfilled by other security solutions, such as firewalls or data loss prevention tools. Monitoring local devices for threats is certainly an element of anti-malware software, but it is a means to the end of protecting against hostile software, rather than the overarching purpose itself. Thus, the primary and most focused role of anti-malware software is indeed to protect against hostile software.