Antivirus Software   Antivirus Software Antivirus software (sometimes written as Anti-Virus or anti-virus) are computer programs that attempt to identify, neutralize or eliminate malicious software. The term "antivirus" is used because the earliest examples were designed exclusively to combat computer viruses; however most modern antivirus software is now designed to combat a wide range of threats, including worms, phishing attacks, rootkits, and Trojans, often described collectively as malware.