---
name: "malo"
section: "4"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["freebsd", "openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/malo"
---

# malo(4)

Marvell Libertas IEEE 802.11b/g wireless network device

## NAME

**malo** – Marvell Libertas IEEE 802.11b/g wireless network device

## SYNOPSIS

**malo\* at cardbus?** **malo\* at pci?** **malo\* at pcmcia?**

## DESCRIPTION

The **malo** driver provides support for Marvell Libertas 88W8335/88W8310/88W8385 based PCI/CardBus/PCMCIA network adapters. The second generation 88W8335/88W8310 chipsets support 802.11b/g.

These are the modes the **malo** driver can operate in:

- BSS mode

  Also known as *infrastructure* mode, this is used when associating with an access point, through which all traffic passes. This mode is the default.

- monitor mode

  In this mode the driver is able to receive packets without associating with an access point. This disables the internal receive filter and enables the card to capture packets from networks which it wouldn't normally have access to, or to scan for access points.

The **malo** driver can be configured to use Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) or Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA1 and WPA2). WPA2 is currently the most secure encryption standard for wireless networks supported by OpenBSD. It is strongly recommended that neither WEP nor WPA1 are used as the sole mechanism to secure wireless communication, due to serious weaknesses. WPA1 is disabled by default and may be enabled using the option "**wpaprotos** *wpa1,wpa2*". For standard WPA networks which use pre-shared keys (PSK), keys are configured using the "**wpakey**" option. WPA-Enterprise networks require use of the wpa\_supplicant package. The **malo** driver relies on the software 802.11 stack for both encryption and decryption of data frames.

The **malo** driver can be configured at runtime with [ifconfig(8)](/ifconfig/8.md) or on boot with [hostname.if(5)](/hostname.if/5.md).

## FILES

The driver needs a set of firmware files which are loaded when an interface is brought up:

- */etc/firmware/malo8335-h*

  - */etc/firmware/malo8335-m*

  - */etc/firmware/malo8338*

  - */etc/firmware/malo8385-h*

  - */etc/firmware/malo8385-m*

  These firmware files are not free because Marvell refuses to grant distribution rights. As a result, even though OpenBSD includes the driver, the firmware files cannot be included and users have to download these files on their own.

A prepackaged version of the firmware can be installed using [fw\_update(8)](/fw_update/8.md).

## HARDWARE

The following cards are among those supported by the **malo** driver:

| | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| *Card* | *Chip* | *Bus* | *Standard* |
| Ambicom WL54CF | 88W8385 | PCMCIA | b/g |
| I-O DATA WN-G54/CF | 88W8385 | PCMCIA | b/g |
| Netgear WG511v2 | 88W8310 | CardBus | b/g |
| Netgear WG311v3 | 88W8335 | PCI | b/g |
| SparkLAN WCFM-100 | 88W8385 | PCMCIA | b/g |
| Tenda TWL541C | 88W8310 | CardBus | b/g |
| Tenda TWL542P | 88W8335 | PCI | b/g |

## EXAMPLES

The following example scans for available networks:

```
# ifconfig malo0 scan
```

The following [hostname.if(5)](/hostname.if/5.md) example configures malo0 to join network “mynwid”, using WPA key “mywpakey”, obtaining an IP address using DHCP:

```
join mynwid wpakey mywpakey
inet autoconf
```

## SEE ALSO

[arp(4)](/arp/4.md), [cardbus(4)](/cardbus/4.md), [ifmedia(4)](/ifmedia/4.md), [intro(4)](/intro/4.md), [netintro(4)](/netintro/4.md), [pci(4)](/pci/4.md), [hostname.if(5)](/hostname.if/5.md), [ifconfig(8)](/ifconfig/8.md)

## HISTORY

The **malo** driver first appeared in OpenBSD 4.1.

## AUTHORS

The **malo** driver was written by Claudio Jeker and Marcus Glocker.

## CAVEATS

WPA encryption is not supported for PCMCIA devices.