final edit: You want real logs instead? add this to your kernel command: drm.panic_screen=kmsg
Kinda funny, kinda neat.
I have no idea what the QR-code might reveal (I could not read it from this picture), so I pixelised it just to be sure.
FWIW I know exactly what happened and did not panic. To reproduce, boot your device with init=/bin/sh, then type exit.
CachyOS
The picture above is generated by Drm panic which is part of the kernel itself, or maybe a separate module. The data in the QR code is the kmsg log.
Not systemd, which wasn’t running when that happened.
And it’s been around for years; I guess I haven’t had a kernel panic in a long time.


It’s possible to use QR code reader apps that do not automatically go to the WWW.
But who’s going to go to that effort on their slab of glass?
I agree that the whole concept of QR code scanning is problematic.
Those who would like to make extra sure their data stays private. On an unrelated note, what kinds of data could be considered confidential in said log?
Yes, well, exactly. You know not every question is a literal question, right?
I was wondering that myself. It’s “the kmsg log”, something to do with kernel mode switching or “graphics”. My guess: the log itself is not problematic, but there might be some metadata added. Or then one creates that metadata by submitting the QR code.
I use URLChecker on Android as my default browser so I can inspect any kind of link before opening it. It’s the most useful tool I’ve found on mobile.