# CVE-2015-8956: Null dereference in n/a

> Local attackers can trigger a NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel Bluetooth stack to cause denial of service or leak sensitive information.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.1 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 10 Oct 2016
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2015-8956, GHSA-78pp-hr66-mmq8

## What is CVE-2015-8956?

CVE-2015-8956 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Google Android, published on 10 Oct 2016. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The rfcomm_sock_bind function in net/bluetooth/rfcomm/sock.c in the Linux kernel before 4.2 allows local users to obtain sensitive information or cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference) via vectors involving a bind system call on a Bluetooth RFCOMM socket.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2015-8956?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Google Android, Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2015-8956?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2015-8956 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2015-8956 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Google Android

- [CVE-2026-58704](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-58704/): Google Pixel Improper Authorization (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-48543](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-48543/): Android Runtime Use-After-Free (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-35674](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-35674/): Android Framework Privilege Escalation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-48595](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-48595/): Android Framework Integer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-32896](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-32896/): Android Pixel Privilege Escalation (high 8.1, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2015-8956 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2015-8956 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Google Android, published on 10 Oct 2016. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2015-8956 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Google Android. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-8956/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-8956/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8956
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8956
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2015-8956

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-8956/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.