System.log files filling up in 10.6?

Question

Something is filling up my system log files, to the point that console.app will only show the last half hour of each file. It looks like something is trying to escape its sandbox, but I'm not exactly sure what... I'm getting MANY repeated messages that look like:
Feb 3 00:29:57 Brians-mini sandboxd[16]: syslogd(15) deny file-read-data /private/var/log/asl/StoreData
Feb 3 00:29:57 Brians-mini sandboxd[16]: syslogd(15) deny mach-task-name
Feb 3 00:29:59: --- last message repeated 1 time ---
Feb 3 00:29:57 Brians-mini sandboxd[16]: * process 16 exceeded 500 log message per second limit - remaining messages this second discarded *
Feb 3 00:29:57 Brians-mini sandboxd[16]: syslogd(15) deny mach-task-name
has anyone seen this? (And does this belong in a different forum?)

Answer 1

It sounds like someone may be trying to connect to your computer. When things are repeatedly denied, especially task-opening commands, it is usually suspected that something is trying to get in. This may be malicious, or may not be, depending on how you connect to the Internet. If you share a connection at home or even between residencies (check with your ISP if you're not sure), it can be normal. See if it still happens after you physically disconnect the network. Also, make sure to disconnect peripherals just to make sure they aren't causing any of the issues.