What is the purpose of a virus signature in antivirus software?

The purpose of a virus signature in antivirus software is to identify known strains of malware and facilitate their detection and removal. Virus signatures are specific patterns or strings of data that correspond to the code of viruses and other types of malicious software. When antivirus software scans a system, it compares files against its database of virus signatures. If a match is found, the software can then take various actions, such as alerting the user, quarantining the infected file, or removing the malware entirely.

This proactive approach aids in the containment and elimination of malware threats that have already been identified and cataloged, allowing for rapid response to known security risks. While enhancing system performance and automatic deletion of harmful files are important aspects of overall antivirus functionality, these activities do not directly relate to the identification process facilitated by virus signatures. Additionally, identifying unknown strains of malware typically requires heuristic or behavior-based detection methods rather than relying solely on predefined signatures.