Final answer:
Antivirus software uses heuristic analysis to prevent infections by monitoring changes in file attributes, which is essential as viruses can evolve and become drug-resistant.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process in which antivirus software prevents infection by recording key attributes about your files and checking to see if they change over time is known as heuristic analysis. This method is used to detect viruses that are unknown to the antivirus by analyzing how files behave, changing, or other suspicious activities. This is crucial as viruses - tiny infectious microbes with DNA or RNA encased in a protein coat called the capsid - evolve and may become resistant to antiviral drugs or the immune system's responses.