Antivirus software can protect against cyber attacks by continuously scanning a computer’s file system for known malicious software and preventing it from executing. The software also typically includes real-time protection, which monitors the computer’s system and network resources for potential threats and blocks them before they can cause harm. Additionally, many antivirus programs include features such as email scanning, which scans incoming and outgoing email messages for malware, and firewall protection, which can block unauthorized access to a computer from the internet or a network.

It’s important to keep in mind that antivirus software is not a panacea, it can’t protect against all types of cyber attacks, such as phishing or social engineering, also keeping the software and virus definitions up-to-date is essential to keep the computer protected from new threats.