CVE-2020-15238: Blueman is a GTK+ Bluetooth Manager

Q: How do I fix CVE-2020-15238?

blueman: upgrade to 2.1.4; debian linux: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; fedora: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2020-15238 being exploited?

CVE-2020-15238 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2020-15238 affect?

CVE-2020-15238 affects blueman, debian linux, fedora. Severity is high (CVSS 7.1). Blueman is a GTK+ Bluetooth Manager. In Blueman before 2.1.4, the DhcpClient method of the D-Bus interface to blueman-mechanism is prone to an argument injection vulnerability. The impact highly depends on the system configuration. If Polki

Q: How urgent is CVE-2020-15238?

Priority 58/100. High severity; EPSS top 8%: very likely to be exploited; Public exploit reference; On your watchlist

This month

HIGH 7.1WATCHLISTUPGRADEMITIGATEMITIGATE

CVE-2020-15238 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.1) affecting blueman, debian linux, fedora. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Blueman is a GTK+ Bluetooth Manager. In Blueman before 2.1.4, the DhcpClient method of the D-Bus interface to blueman-mechanism is prone to an argument injection vulnerability. The impact highly depends on the system configuration. If Polkit-1 is disabled and for versions lower than 2.0.6, any local user can possibly exploit this. If Polkit-1 is enabled for version 2.0.6 and later, a possible attacker needs to be allowed to use the `org.blueman.d

Why this priority

High severity
EPSS top 8%: very likely to be exploited
Public exploit reference
On your watchlist

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.1 (High)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	High
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	4.6% (top 8%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-74, CWE-88
Published	2020-10-27
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): GitHub, Inc. · Vendor: blueman project · debian · fedoraproject

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2020-10-27 19:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 02:56 UTCUpdated Record last modified

blueman project blueman UPGRADE

Affected: < 2.1.4

Fixed in: 2.1.4

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy blueman || rpm -q blueman || blueman --version

2. UPGRADE to 2.1.4 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade blueman

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade blueman

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

debian debian linux MITIGATE

Affected: 9.0 · 10.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 9.0

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

fedoraproject fedora MITIGATE

Affected: 31 · 32 · 33

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 31

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

Public exploits and detection

Public code exists for this CVE. Treat unpatched systems as at risk, and only run PoCs in a lab.

Exploit-DB: Blueman < 2.1.4 - Local Privilege Escalation

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2020-15238?

blueman: upgrade to 2.1.4; debian linux: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; fedora: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2020-15238 being exploited?

CVE-2020-15238 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2020-15238 affect?

CVE-2020-15238 affects blueman, debian linux, fedora. Severity is high (CVSS 7.1). Blueman is a GTK+ Bluetooth Manager. In Blueman before 2.1.4, the DhcpClient method of the D-Bus interface to blueman-mechanism is prone to an argument injection vulnerability. The impact highly depends on the system configuration. If Polki

How urgent is CVE-2020-15238?

Priority 58/100. High severity; EPSS top 8%: very likely to be exploited; Public exploit reference; On your watchlist

Software pages

Debian vulnerabilities · Bluetooth vulnerabilities

References

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