diff --git a/misc.h b/misc.h
index e53f8929..db7f9143 100644
--- a/misc.h
+++ b/misc.h
@@ -169,4 +169,9 @@ void debug_memdump(void *buf, int len, int L);
   (cp)[0] = (unsigned char)((value) >> 8), \
   (cp)[1] = (unsigned char)(value) )
 
+/* Replace NULL with the empty string, permitting an idiom in which we
+ * get a string (pointer,length) pair that might be NULL,0 and can
+ * then safely say things like printf("%.*s", length, NULLTOEMPTY(ptr)) */
+#define NULLTOEMPTY(s) ((s)?(s):"")
+
 #endif
diff --git a/ssh.c b/ssh.c
index 1077209a..e1e94d78 100644
--- a/ssh.c
+++ b/ssh.c
@@ -5419,7 +5419,7 @@ static void ssh1_msg_port_open(Ssh ssh, struct Packet *pktin)
     ssh_pkt_getstring(pktin, &host, &hostsize);
     port = ssh_pkt_getuint32(pktin);
 
-    pf.dhost = dupprintf("%.*s", hostsize, host);
+    pf.dhost = dupprintf("%.*s", hostsize, NULLTOEMPTY(host));
     pf.dport = port;
     pfp = find234(ssh->rportfwds, &pf, NULL);
 
@@ -5902,7 +5902,7 @@ static void ssh1_msg_debug(Ssh ssh, struct Packet *pktin)
     int msglen;
 
     ssh_pkt_getstring(pktin, &msg, &msglen);
-    logeventf(ssh, "Remote debug message: %.*s", msglen, msg);
+    logeventf(ssh, "Remote debug message: %.*s", msglen, NULLTOEMPTY(msg));
 }
 
 static void ssh1_msg_disconnect(Ssh ssh, struct Packet *pktin)
@@ -5912,7 +5912,8 @@ static void ssh1_msg_disconnect(Ssh ssh, struct Packet *pktin)
     int msglen;
 
     ssh_pkt_getstring(pktin, &msg, &msglen);
-    bombout(("Server sent disconnect message:\n\"%.*s\"", msglen, msg));
+    bombout(("Server sent disconnect message:\n\"%.*s\"",
+             msglen, NULLTOEMPTY(msg)));
 }
 
 static void ssh_msg_ignore(Ssh ssh, struct Packet *pktin)
@@ -7960,7 +7961,8 @@ static void ssh2_msg_channel_open_failure(Ssh ssh, struct Packet *pktin)
             reason_code = 0; /* ensure reasons[reason_code] in range */
         ssh_pkt_getstring(pktin, &reason_string, &reason_length);
         logeventf(ssh, "Forwarded connection refused by server: %s [%.*s]",
-                  reasons[reason_code], reason_length, reason_string);
+                  reasons[reason_code], reason_length,
+                  NULLTOEMPTY(reason_string));
 
         pfd_close(c->u.pfd.pf);
     } else if (c->type == CHAN_ZOMBIE) {
@@ -8255,9 +8257,7 @@ static void ssh2_msg_channel_open(Ssh ssh, struct Packet *pktin)
 	char *addrstr;
 
 	ssh_pkt_getstring(pktin, &peeraddr, &peeraddrlen);
-	addrstr = snewn(peeraddrlen+1, char);
-	memcpy(addrstr, peeraddr, peeraddrlen);
-	addrstr[peeraddrlen] = '\0';
+	addrstr = dupprintf("%.*s", peeraddrlen, NULLTOEMPTY(peeraddr));
 	peerport = ssh_pkt_getuint32(pktin);
 
 	logeventf(ssh, "Received X11 connect request from %s:%d",
@@ -8292,13 +8292,14 @@ static void ssh2_msg_channel_open(Ssh ssh, struct Packet *pktin)
 	char *shost;
 	int shostlen;
 	ssh_pkt_getstring(pktin, &shost, &shostlen);/* skip address */
-        pf.shost = dupprintf("%.*s", shostlen, shost);
+        pf.shost = dupprintf("%.*s", shostlen, NULLTOEMPTY(shost));
 	pf.sport = ssh_pkt_getuint32(pktin);
 	ssh_pkt_getstring(pktin, &peeraddr, &peeraddrlen);
 	peerport = ssh_pkt_getuint32(pktin);
 	realpf = find234(ssh->rportfwds, &pf, NULL);
 	logeventf(ssh, "Received remote port %s:%d open request "
-		  "from %s:%d", pf.shost, pf.sport, peeraddr, peerport);
+		  "from %.*s:%d", pf.shost, pf.sport,
+                  peeraddrlen, NULLTOEMPTY(peeraddr), peerport);
         sfree(pf.shost);
 
 	if (realpf == NULL) {
@@ -9957,7 +9958,7 @@ static void do_ssh2_authconn(Ssh ssh, unsigned char *in, int inlen,
 		    s->cur_prompt->to_server = TRUE;
 		    s->cur_prompt->name = dupstr("New SSH password");
 		    s->cur_prompt->instruction =
-			dupprintf("%.*s", prompt_len, prompt);
+			dupprintf("%.*s", prompt_len, NULLTOEMPTY(prompt));
 		    s->cur_prompt->instr_reqd = TRUE;
 		    /*
 		     * There's no explicit requirement in the protocol
@@ -10394,13 +10395,13 @@ static void ssh2_msg_disconnect(Ssh ssh, struct Packet *pktin)
     logevent(buf);
     sfree(buf);
     buf = dupprintf("Disconnection message text: %.*s",
-		    msglen, msg);
+		    msglen, NULLTOEMPTY(msg));
     logevent(buf);
     bombout(("Server sent disconnect message\ntype %d (%s):\n\"%.*s\"",
 	     reason,
 	     (reason > 0 && reason < lenof(ssh2_disconnect_reasons)) ?
 	     ssh2_disconnect_reasons[reason] : "unknown",
-	     msglen, msg));
+	     msglen, NULLTOEMPTY(msg)));
     sfree(buf);
 }
 
@@ -10414,7 +10415,7 @@ static void ssh2_msg_debug(Ssh ssh, struct Packet *pktin)
     ssh2_pkt_getbool(pktin);
     ssh_pkt_getstring(pktin, &msg, &msglen);
 
-    logeventf(ssh, "Remote debug message: %.*s", msglen, msg);
+    logeventf(ssh, "Remote debug message: %.*s", msglen, NULLTOEMPTY(msg));
 }
 
 static void ssh2_msg_transport(Ssh ssh, struct Packet *pktin)