static int hns_nic_try_get_ae(struct net_device *ndev)
{
	struct hns_nic_priv *priv = netdev_priv(ndev);
	struct hnae_handle *h;
	int ret;

	h = hnae_get_handle(&priv->netdev->dev,
			    priv->fwnode, priv->port_id, NULL);
	if (IS_ERR_OR_NULL(h)) {
		ret = -ENODEV;
		dev_dbg(priv->dev, "has not handle, register notifier!\n");
		goto out;
	}
	priv->ae_handle = h;

	ret = hns_nic_init_phy(ndev, h);
	if (ret) {
		dev_err(priv->dev, "probe phy device fail!\n");
		goto out_init_phy;
	}

	ret = hns_nic_init_ring_data(priv);
	if (ret) {
		ret = -ENOMEM;
		goto out_init_ring_data;
	}

	hns_nic_set_priv_ops(ndev);

	ret = register_netdev(ndev);
	if (ret) {
		dev_err(priv->dev, "probe register netdev fail!\n");
		goto out_reg_ndev_fail;
	}
	return 0;

out_reg_ndev_fail:
	hns_nic_uninit_ring_data(priv);
	priv->ring_data = NULL;
out_init_phy:
out_init_ring_data:
	hnae_put_handle(priv->ae_handle);
	priv->ae_handle = NULL;
out:
	return ret;
}

The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.