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Michael Sweeny Public Relations Director michael_sweeny@trendmicro.com Tel: +1 (408) 863-6384 Fax: +1 (408) 863-6525

Davida Dinerman/Laura Ackerman Schwartz Communications (781) 684-0770

InterMute’s CWShredder Update Defeats Polymorphic CoolWebSearch Spyware

Unrelenting Browser Hijacker ‘HomeSearch’ Is Easily Removed With New CWShredder

BRAINTREE, MA — December 15, 2004 — InterMute, Inc., a leading provider of best-of-breed Internet security and content filtering solutions, today announced a significant upgrade of CWShredder™ (Version 2.12) that eradicates browser hijacker HomeSearch. This polymorphic spyware takes control of a user’s homepage settings and is considered to be one of the most tenacious browser hijackers. HomeSearch continuously changes its own file name to defy anti-spyware detection. No matter how many times a user tries to remove HomeSearch, it puts itself back in control of the user’s browser, not allowing the original homepage to appear.

Nicknamed “gremlinware” because it always comes back, HomeSearch is extremely persistent, replicating and reinstalling itself when removal is attempted. “It wants to stay alive,” said Ed English, CEO and founder of InterMute, Inc.

Polymorphic spyware like HomeSearch defeats traditional file name and signature scanning techniques by modifying file names and file contents when they replicate themselves. Due to their continuously morphing and mutating nature, they cannot be removed with conventional anti-spyware tools.

Not only is HomeSearch completely invisible during installation but also it installs to a variety of locations on a user’s hard drive with different file names. HomeSearch attaches itself directly to Internet Explorer as a Brower Helper Object. BHOs are small programs that run automatically every time the IE browser is launched. Some BHOs are benign because they help users, for example, identify file formats without having them to specifically open the correct application. However, in this case the HomeSearch spyware manipulates IE to establish a homepage of its choice, not of the user’s.

“CWShredder is widely recognized as the only software that effectively detects and removes CoolWebSearch browser hijackers,” said English. “Now that CWShredder eradicates HomeSearch, InterMute is once more demonstrating our commitment to take on the most challenging and persistent forms of spyware, including polymorphic browser hijackers.”

Other symptoms indicating that a PC is infected with HomeSearch include the triggering of popups when a user opens up a browser or the changing of a user’s homepage to a suspicious search engine with a screenful of links.

CWShredder 2.12 is available immediately and embedded in both InterMute’s consumer and corporate anti-spyware software products: SpySubtract PRO and SpySubtract Enterprise Edition.

The new release of CWShredder is also available as a free stand-alone download. Visit http://www.intermute.com/products/cwshredder.html for more information.

About InterMute:

InterMute, Inc., based in Braintree, Massachusetts, develops leading Internet security and content filtering solutions for consumers and businesses. Founded in 1999, the company’s mission is to bring security, productivity and privacy to the Internet.

For further information, visit www.intermute.com.

InterMute, SpySubtract and CWShredder are trademarks or registered trademarks of InterMute, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.