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CVE-2025-68816
net/mlx5: fw_tracer, Validate format string parameters
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.

INFO

Published Date :

Jan. 13, 2026, 4:16 p.m.

Last Modified :

Jan. 13, 2026, 4:16 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No

Source :

416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2025-68816 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Linux linux_kernel
: Total Affected Vendor : 1 | Products : 1
Solution
Validate format string parameters in the firmware tracer to prevent vulnerabilities and crashes.
  • Update the Linux kernel to include format string validation.
  • Ensure all format specifiers are limited to safe integer/hex formats.
  • Reject trace strings containing other format types.
  • Add invalid format strings to trace output with a specific prefix.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2025-68816.

URL Resource
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/38ac688b52ef26a88f8bc4fe26d24fdd0ff91e5d
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/45bd283b1d69e2c97cddcb9956f0e0261fc4efd7
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8ac688c0e430dab19f6a9b70df94b1f635612c1a
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c35c2448086870509ede43947845be0833251f0
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b35966042d20b14e2d83330049f77deec5229749
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2025-68816 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2025-68816 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2025-68816 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

Results are limited to the first 20 news articles due to potential performance issues.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2025-68816 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Jan. 13, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    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.
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/38ac688b52ef26a88f8bc4fe26d24fdd0ff91e5d
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/45bd283b1d69e2c97cddcb9956f0e0261fc4efd7
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8ac688c0e430dab19f6a9b70df94b1f635612c1a
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c35c2448086870509ede43947845be0833251f0
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b35966042d20b14e2d83330049f77deec5229749
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Scoring Details
No CVSS metrics available for this vulnerability.