On June 28 Merijn Bellekom, the prolific programmer and spyware crusader, announced the final update of CWShredder, the standard for removing the infamous CoolWebSearch (CWS).
CoolWebSearch is the name of a variety of different browser hijackers, all of which redirect users to coolwebsearch.com and other sites affiliated with its operators.
Merijn, a graduate student at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, single-handedly wrote and supported CWShredder in his spare time. He has updated the program to remove each new variety of CWS but states in a farewell note, “I simply do not have the tools to remove the latest variants, they are too aggressive or complicated to allow automated removal by CWShredder.”
Even without updates, Merijns Web site, www.spywareinfo.com, provides a wealth of tools and information, from utilities for troubleshooting browser hijacks to in-depth Windows processes analysis. And the active SpywareInfo help forum, which is staffed by volunteers, will continue to operate.