In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net/mlx5: fw_tracer, Validate format string parameters
Add validation for format string parameters in the firmware tracer to
prevent potential security vulnerabilities and crashes from malformed
format strings received from firmware.
The firmware tracer receives format strings from the device firmware and
uses them to format trace messages. Without proper validation, bad
firmware could provide format strings with invalid format specifiers
(e.g., %s, %p, %n) that could lead to crashes, or other undefined
behavior.
Add mlx5_tracer_validate_params() to validate that all format specifiers
in trace strings are limited to safe integer/hex formats (%x, %d, %i,
%u, %llx, %lx, etc.). Reject strings containing other format types that
could be used to access arbitrary memory or cause crashes.
Invalid format strings are added to the trace output for visibility with
"BAD_FORMAT: " prefix.
net/mlx5: fw_tracer, Validate format string parameters
Add validation for format string parameters in the firmware tracer to
prevent potential security vulnerabilities and crashes from malformed
format strings received from firmware.
The firmware tracer receives format strings from the device firmware and
uses them to format trace messages. Without proper validation, bad
firmware could provide format strings with invalid format specifiers
(e.g., %s, %p, %n) that could lead to crashes, or other undefined
behavior.
Add mlx5_tracer_validate_params() to validate that all format specifiers
in trace strings are limited to safe integer/hex formats (%x, %d, %i,
%u, %llx, %lx, etc.). Reject strings containing other format types that
could be used to access arbitrary memory or cause crashes.
Invalid format strings are added to the trace output for visibility with
"BAD_FORMAT: " prefix.
Metrics
Affected Vendors & Products
Advisories
No advisories yet.
Fixes
Solution
No solution given by the vendor.
Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Tue, 13 Jan 2026 15:45:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: fw_tracer, Validate format string parameters Add validation for format string parameters in the firmware tracer to prevent potential security vulnerabilities and crashes from malformed format strings received from firmware. The firmware tracer receives format strings from the device firmware and uses them to format trace messages. Without proper validation, bad firmware could provide format strings with invalid format specifiers (e.g., %s, %p, %n) that could lead to crashes, or other undefined behavior. Add mlx5_tracer_validate_params() to validate that all format specifiers in trace strings are limited to safe integer/hex formats (%x, %d, %i, %u, %llx, %lx, etc.). Reject strings containing other format types that could be used to access arbitrary memory or cause crashes. Invalid format strings are added to the trace output for visibility with "BAD_FORMAT: " prefix. | |
| Title | net/mlx5: fw_tracer, Validate format string parameters | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
|
Projects
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MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-01-13T15:29:20.464Z
Reserved: 2025-12-24T10:30:51.047Z
Link: CVE-2025-68816
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2026-01-13T16:16:03.870
Modified: 2026-01-13T16:16:03.870
Link: CVE-2025-68816
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
Weaknesses
No weakness.