diff --git a/net/sched/act_ct.c b/net/sched/act_ct.c
index be535a261fa0..e250969c84ac 100644
--- a/net/sched/act_ct.c
+++ b/net/sched/act_ct.c
@@ -840,8 +840,15 @@ static int tcf_ct_ipv6_is_fragment(struct sk_buff *skb, bool *frag)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/* On error, tells the caller whether it still owns @skb and must free it
+ * itself.  @skb is ours only when the header checks below reject the packet
+ * before it is handed to the defragmentation engine; once nf_ct_handle_
+ * fragments() has been called the skb is either queued (-EINPROGRESS) or has
+ * already been freed by it.
+ */
 static int tcf_ct_handle_fragments(struct net *net, struct sk_buff *skb,
-				   u8 family, u16 zone, bool *defrag)
+				   u8 family, u16 zone, bool *defrag,
+				   bool *skb_is_ours)
 {
 	enum ip_conntrack_info ctinfo;
 	struct tc_skb_cb cb;
@@ -859,8 +866,12 @@ static int tcf_ct_handle_fragments(struct net *net, struct sk_buff *skb,
 		err = tcf_ct_ipv4_is_fragment(skb, &frag);
 	else
 		err = tcf_ct_ipv6_is_fragment(skb, &frag);
-	if (err || !frag)
+	if (err) {
+		*skb_is_ours = true;
 		return err;
+	}
+	if (!frag)
+		return 0;
 
 	cb = *tc_skb_cb(skb);
 	err = nf_ct_handle_fragments(net, skb, zone, family, &proto, &cb.mru);
@@ -977,6 +988,7 @@ TC_INDIRECT_SCOPE int tcf_ct_act(struct sk_buff *skb, const struct tc_action *a,
 	int nh_ofs, err, retval;
 	struct tcf_ct_params *p;
 	bool add_helper = false;
+	bool skb_is_ours = false;
 	bool skip_add = false;
 	bool defrag = false;
 	struct nf_conn *ct;
@@ -1012,9 +1024,18 @@ TC_INDIRECT_SCOPE int tcf_ct_act(struct sk_buff *skb, const struct tc_action *a,
 	 */
 	nh_ofs = skb_network_offset(skb);
 	skb_pull_rcsum(skb, nh_ofs);
-	err = tcf_ct_handle_fragments(net, skb, family, p->zone, &defrag);
-	if (err)
+	err = tcf_ct_handle_fragments(net, skb, family, p->zone, &defrag,
+				      &skb_is_ours);
+	if (err) {
+		/* The skb is still ours only when the header checks rejected
+		 * it; returning TC_ACT_CONSUMED for such a packet would leak
+		 * it, since no caller frees an skb it was told it no longer
+		 * owns.
+		 */
+		if (skb_is_ours)
+			goto drop;
 		goto out_frag;
+	}
 
 	err = nf_ct_skb_network_trim(skb, family);
 	if (err)