CVE-2025-68816: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

UNKNOWN
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-446v-vm34-72r6
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CWE-134
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-68816 is a security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product uses a function that accepts a format string as an argument, but the format string originates from an external source.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2025-68816 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-68816
GHSA Identifier GHSA-446v-vm34-72r6
Severity N/A
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2025-68816

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2025-68816, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String, where the product uses a function that accepts a format string as an argument, but the format string originates from an external source. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

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.

References

NVD — CVE-2025-68816 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-68816
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-019113.html
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-457936.html
git.kernel.org/stable/c/38ac688b52... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/38ac688b52ef26a88f8bc4fe26d24fdd0ff91e5d
git.kernel.org/stable/c/45bd283b1d... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/45bd283b1d69e2c97cddcb9956f0e0261fc4efd7
git.kernel.org/stable/c/768d559f46... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/768d559f466cdd72849110a7ecd76a21d52dcfe3
git.kernel.org/stable/c/8ac688c0e4... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8ac688c0e430dab19f6a9b70df94b1f635612c1a
git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c35c24480... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c35c2448086870509ede43947845be0833251f0
git.kernel.org/stable/c/95624b731c... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/95624b731c490a4b849844269193a233d6d556a0
git.kernel.org/stable/c/b35966042d... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b35966042d20b14e2d83330049f77deec5229749

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-68816?
CVE-2025-68816 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2025-68816?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-68816?
CVE-2025-68816 is classified under CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String (The product uses a function that accepts a format string as an argument, but the format string originates from an external source.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2025-68816?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
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  "id" : "GHSA-446v-vm34-72r6",
  "modified" : "2026-10-15T03:35:03Z",
  "published" : "2026-01-13T18:31:04Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-68816" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnet/mlx5: fw_tracer, Validate format string parameters\n\nAdd validation for format string parameters in the firmware tracer to\nprevent potential security vulnerabilities and crashes from malformed\nformat strings received from firmware.\n\nThe firmware tracer receives format strings from the device firmware and\nuses them to format trace messages. Without proper validation, bad\nfirmware could provide format strings with invalid format specifiers\n(e.g., %s, %p, %n) that could lead to crashes, or other undefined\nbehavior.\n\nAdd mlx5_tracer_validate_params() to validate that all format specifiers\nin trace strings are limited to safe integer/hex formats (%x, %d, %i,\n%u, %llx, %lx, etc.). Reject strings containing other format types that\ncould be used to access arbitrary memory or cause crashes.\nInvalid format strings are added to the trace output for visibility with\n\"BAD_FORMAT: \" prefix.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
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    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-019113.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-457936.html"
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    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b35966042d20b14e2d83330049f77deec5229749"
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  "database_specific" : {
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    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-01-13T16:16:03Z"
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}