Re: [Hampshire] apache block invalid IP address

> It is the IP address field

Yes, but it's not an IP address. IPv4 addresses[1] have four numbers with
dots between them. Fewer than four numbers indicates a range - which is
meaningless in an Apache log file...

> It could be the spammer has a malformed request.

That might be so - but wouldn't[2] give rise to what you're seeing. HTTP
goes over TCP, so Apache *must* have known the IP address it was talking
to when the request was made. The fact that you're not seeing that IP
address in the log file is worrying - and that is undoubtedly the bit that
needs fixing first.

Once you have the IP address(es), the rest is easy. I'd check your log
format directives in the Apache config.

Vic.

[1] IPv6 addresses may omit many values, but ipv6 addresses use lots of
colons, not dots.

[2] Unless Apache has some serious bug of which I am unaware.