Sophos Certified Engineer Practice Exam

On-access scanning is a proactive security measure implemented by antivirus solutions to monitor and inspect files as they are accessed or executed on a system. This means that each time a file is opened, downloaded, or executed, the on-access scanner automatically checks the file for any malicious components or threats in real-time. By doing this, it effectively mitigates the risk of malware infections at the moment they could occur, providing ongoing protection as users interact with their files and programs.

The other options represent different functionalities that antivirus programs may offer, but they do not specifically define the purpose and operation of on-access scanning. Scanning emails for malicious content involves a different process, often referred to as email filtering or scanning. Scheduled system scans are routine checks that look for threats at predetermined times but do not monitor activity in real-time. Automatic software updates pertain to keeping the security software itself current but do not relate to scanning files as they are accessed.