CVE-2025-68816
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
BaseFortify

Publication date: 2026-01-13

Last updated on: 2026-01-19

Assigner: kernel.org

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.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-01-13
Last Modified
2026-01-19
Generated
2026-05-07
AI Q&A
2026-01-14
EPSS Evaluated
2026-05-05
NVD
CVE-2025-68816
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux_kernel linux_kernel *
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN
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AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?

This vulnerability involves the Linux kernel's firmware tracer (fw_tracer) for mlx5 devices, which receives format strings from device firmware to format trace messages. Without proper validation, malicious or malformed format strings containing unsafe specifiers (like %s, %p, %n) could cause crashes or undefined behavior. The fix adds validation to ensure only safe integer/hex format specifiers are allowed, rejecting unsafe ones and marking invalid strings visibly in the trace output.


How can this vulnerability impact me? :

If exploited, this vulnerability could cause system crashes or undefined behavior due to malformed format strings from device firmware. This could lead to denial of service or potentially other security issues related to memory access violations.


What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?

Apply the updated Linux kernel patch that includes the fix for validating format string parameters in the firmware tracer (mlx5_tracer_validate_params). This update prevents unsafe format specifiers from causing crashes or undefined behavior. Until the patch is applied, monitor trace outputs for entries prefixed with "BAD_FORMAT: " which indicate invalid format strings.


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