I googled for the first part of which I pasted and got no results. and no this is an apache2 (hint see subject line) Linux Server. I'll try a little more see if I get anything...<div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div style="direction: ltr;"> <div>On 5/3/06, STeve Andre' <<a href="mailto:andres@msu.edu" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">andres@msu.edu</a>> wrote: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"> Well, maybe not.  It isn't YOU that is causing this, its a vandal at the other end of the line, or its a bot or otherwise infected machine that is pawing at you. You aren't running ISS, I hope... If you aren't, then you are likely safe.  Note that I say likely, because I don't know what this is.  x90 is a really good clue that its i386 specific though.  Hmmm.  Google for some of that string and see what you get? On Wednesday 03 May 2006 19:47, you wrote: > oh... nice... sounds like I now need to improve my security... fun... > suggestions? > > On 5/3/06, STeve Andre' <<a href="mailto:andres@msu.edu" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">andres@msu.edu</a>> wrote: > > On Wednesday 03 May 2006 19:36, Caleb Cushing wrote: > > > what is this? > > > > > > <a href="http://67.167.118.5" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">67.167.118.5</a> - - [03/May/2006:14:38:22 -0400] "SEARCH > > > /\x90\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\ > > > > xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\xc9\x > >c9 > > > > >\xc9\.... ....90\x90\x90\x90\x90\x90\x90\x.... > > > > > > those characters repeat for a long time.... why? > > > > Heh.  Thats shell code.  You are being hit by an exploit of some > > kind, most likely for MS's IIS horror. > > > > x90 is a NOP for i386.  Yup, definitely something designed to > > slither into a system. ;-) > > > > --STeve Andre' </blockquote></div> </div></blockquote></div>