diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
index 13491a1b017..cb95c2ed487 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
@@ -102,6 +102,9 @@ Release 2.0.1-alpha - UNRELEASED
     HADOOP-8512. AuthenticatedURL should reset the Token when the server returns 
     other than OK on authentication (tucu)
 
+    HADOOP-8168. empty-string owners or groups causes {{MissingFormatWidthException}} 
+    in o.a.h.fs.shell.Ls.ProcessPath() (ekoontz via tucu)
+
   BREAKDOWN OF HDFS-3042 SUBTASKS
 
     HADOOP-8220. ZKFailoverController doesn't handle failure to become active
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/shell/Ls.java b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/shell/Ls.java
index 07f3190fe5c..289adea8d34 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/shell/Ls.java
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/shell/Ls.java
@@ -134,8 +134,11 @@ class Ls extends FsCommand {
     StringBuilder fmt = new StringBuilder();
     fmt.append("%s%s "); // permission string
     fmt.append("%"  + maxRepl  + "s ");
-    fmt.append("%-" + maxOwner + "s ");
-    fmt.append("%-" + maxGroup + "s ");
+    // Do not use '%-0s' as a formatting conversion, since it will throw a
+    // a MissingFormatWidthException if it is used in String.format().
+    // http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/api/java/util/Formatter.html#intFlags
+    fmt.append((maxOwner > 0) ? "%-" + maxOwner + "s " : "%s");
+    fmt.append((maxGroup > 0) ? "%-" + maxGroup + "s " : "%s");
     fmt.append("%"  + maxLen   + "s ");
     fmt.append("%s %s"); // mod time & path
     lineFormat = fmt.toString();