diff --git a/force_bind.c b/force_bind.c
index 644e3a7..5656a05 100644
--- a/force_bind.c
+++ b/force_bind.c
@@ -916,6 +916,9 @@ int bind(int sockfd, const struct sockaddr *addr, socklen_t addrlen)
 		case AF_INET6: force_address = force_address_v6; break;
 		}
 
+		if (force_address == NULL)
+			break;
+
 		/* Test if we should deny the bind */
 		if (strcmp(force_address, "deny") == 0) {
 			xlog(1, "\tDeny binding to %s\n", tmp);
