[PATCH nf] netfilter: nf_tables: fix flow rule leak in nft_delrule() error path

From: Xingyuan Mo

Date: Wed Oct 28 2026 - 02:23:05 EST


On the nf_tables_delrule_deactivate() failure path, nft_trans_destroy()
frees the transaction but not the attached HW offload flow rule. Destroy
the flow after the transaction to avoid memory leak.

Fixes: 63b48c73ff56 ("netfilter: nf_tables_offload: undo updates if transaction fails")
Assisted-by: opencode:deepseek-v4
Signed-off-by: Xingyuan Mo <hdthky0@xxxxxxxxx>
---
net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c | 4 +++-
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c b/net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c
index 59ac623e6805..ec56ea8c8436 100644
--- a/net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c
+++ b/net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c
@@ -752,7 +752,7 @@ static struct nft_trans *nft_trans_rule_add(struct nft_ctx *ctx, int msg_type,

static int nft_delrule(struct nft_ctx *ctx, struct nft_rule *rule)
{
- struct nft_flow_rule *flow;
+ struct nft_flow_rule *flow = NULL;
struct nft_trans *trans;
int err;

@@ -773,6 +773,8 @@ static int nft_delrule(struct nft_ctx *ctx, struct nft_rule *rule)
err = nf_tables_delrule_deactivate(ctx, rule);
if (err < 0) {
nft_trans_destroy(trans);
+ if (flow)
+ nft_flow_rule_destroy(flow);
return err;
}
nft_rule_expr_deactivate(ctx, rule, NFT_TRANS_PREPARE);
--
2.43.0