What is CVE-2015-8963?

CVE-2015-8963 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.0 out of 10, classified as a Race Condition flaw (CWE-362). CVE-2015-8963 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2015-8963?

CVE-2015-8963 has a CVSS score of 7.0 out of 10, rated High severity. The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2015-8963?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2015-8963. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.

Is CVE-2015-8963 actively exploited?

CVE-2015-8963 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is Race Condition (CWE-362)?

The product contains a code sequence that can run concurrently with other code, creating unexpected states. See MITRE CWE for full details: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/362.html

CVE-2015-8963

High

Race condition in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 4.4 allows local users to gain privileges or cause a denial of service (use-after-free) by leveraging incorrect handling of an swevent data structure during a CPU unplug operation.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2016-11-16

Last modified 2026-05-06

CVSS version 3.1

Patch available

Awaiting data

CVSS 3.1 score

7.0

out of 10

High

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

High

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Vector string

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-362

CVE-2015-8963 is a Race Condition vulnerability

What is Race Condition?

The product contains a code sequence that can run concurrently with other code, creating unexpected states. Learn more on MITRE CWE

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2015-8963 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Source
http://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2016-11-01.html

Third Party Advisory
Securityfocus
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94207

Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
Kernel patch commit
http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=12ca6ad2e3a896256f086497a7c7406a547ee373
Patch
Kernel patch commit
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/12ca6ad2e3a896256f086497a7c7406a547ee373
Patch

Details

CVE ID CVE-2015-8963

Severity High

CVSS score 7.0 / 10

CVSS version 3.1

Published 2016-11-16

Modified 2026-05-06

KEV No

Patch Awaiting data

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2015-8963?

CVE-2015-8963 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.0 out of 10 , classified as a Race Condition flaw (CWE-362) . CVE-2015-8963 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2015-8963?

CVE-2015-8963 has a CVSS score of 7.0 out of 10, rated High severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Is there a patch available for CVE-2015-8963?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2015-8963. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.
Is CVE-2015-8963 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2015-8963 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
What is Race Condition (CWE-362)?

The product contains a code sequence that can run concurrently with other code, creating unexpected states. View CWE-362 on MITRE CWE →