&s=svsxahafavfp ?

[keyplyr]

I've been seeing dozens of 404s for this file:

&s=svsxahafavfp

I know it is a PHP string but the errors started shortly after my AdSence involvement. Am I correct is assuming it is indeed caused by AdSence? Thanks.

[arifagic]

Where did you say you get that error!?

[tebrino]

It's only URL parameter. I'm not sure how could this cause any error.

[keyplyr]

In the apache error log. Dozens of requests resulting in 404 errors, from various IPs.

[jatar_k]

what was the actual page they were looking for though

the query string cant cause a 404, it is the non existant page that causes the 404

[keyplyr]

Yes, this "query string" is being requested and causing the 404 error, dozens of times every day:

[Tue Apr 5 06:04:01 2005] [error] [client 123.456.789.012] File does not exist: /www/m/y/mypath/htdocs/&s=svsxahafavfp
[Tue Apr 5 06:04:01 2005] [error] [client 123.456.789.012] File does not exist: /www/m/y/mypath/htdocs/&s=svsxahafavfp
[Tue Apr 5 11:05:02 2005] [error] [client 123.456.789.012] File does not exist: /www/m/y/mypath/htdocs/&s=svsxahafavfp
[Tue Apr 5 12:33:03 2005] [error] [client 123.456.789.012] File does not exist: /www/m/y/mypath/htdocs/&s=svsxahafavfp
[Tue Apr 5 14:16:32 2005] [error] [client 123.456.789.012] File does not exist: /www/m/y/mypath/htdocs/&s=svsxahafavfp
[Tue Apr 5 15:24:56 2005] [error] [client 123.456.789.012] File does not exist: /www/m/y/mypath/htdocs/&s=svsxahafavfp
[Tue Apr 5 15:34:46 2005] [error] [client 123.456.789.012] File does not exist: /www/m/y/mypath/htdocs/&s=svsxahafavfp

This started sometime after I added AdSence to my site. The actual webpage these users were on when this file was requested varies, but all erors come from a webpage that has AdSence ads on them. This is why I am asking in this forum.

[edited by: Jenstar at 1:12 am (utc) on April 6, 2005]
[edit reason] examplified IPs ;) [/edit]

[bbkid]

i run adsense on most of my pages and just searched last months error.log and didnt find a single occurence of '&s=svsxahafavfp'
what are the odds its something else?
(a stray link that nobody else follows, but a spider might fo example)

[jatar_k]

I assume the & is confusing apache making it think these are page requests

did you grep/search the rest of your logs to look for successful queries using that string?

[MrAnchovy]

but all erors come from a webpage that has AdSence ads on them. This is why I am asking in this forum.

Highly doubtful it has anything to do with AdSense...

I think I've found the problem being a malformed click tracking string from a search engine.

If you search for "s=svsxahafavfp" @ Yahoo, you'll get many results... the vast majority are error/server logs. Of those that show the referer, it is 1 search engine listed for every single one.

I haven't been able to duplicate those links via their search engine... but all evidence points their way as the cause.

[keyplyr]

Yes MrAnchovy, I think that is correct. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. That same SE is the referrer over half the time, the others being another 3rd level SE and a few suspect scrapper directories.