ppp_decompress_frame(struct ppp *ppp, struct sk_buff *skb)
{
	int proto = PPP_PROTO(skb);
	struct sk_buff *ns;
	int len;

	/* Until we fix all the decompressor's need to make sure
	 * data portion is linear.
	 */
	if (!pskb_may_pull(skb, skb->len))
		goto err;

	if (proto == PPP_COMP) {
		int obuff_size;

		switch(ppp->rcomp->compress_proto) {
		case CI_MPPE:
			obuff_size = ppp->mru + PPP_HDRLEN + 1;
			break;
		default:
			obuff_size = ppp->mru + PPP_HDRLEN;
			break;
		}

		ns = dev_alloc_skb(obuff_size);
		if (!ns) {
			netdev_err(ppp->dev, "ppp_decompress_frame: "
				   "no memory\n");
			goto err;
		}
		/* the decompressor still expects the A/C bytes in the hdr */
		len = ppp->rcomp->decompress(ppp->rc_state, skb->data - 2,
				skb->len + 2, ns->data, obuff_size);
		if (len < 0) {
			/* Pass the compressed frame to pppd as an
			   error indication. */
			if (len == DECOMP_FATALERROR)
				ppp->rstate |= SC_DC_FERROR;
			kfree_skb(ns);
			goto err;
		}

		consume_skb(skb);
		skb = ns;
		skb_put(skb, len);
		skb_pull(skb, 2);	/* pull off the A/C bytes */

	} else {
		/* Uncompressed frame - pass to decompressor so it
		   can update its dictionary if necessary. */
		if (ppp->rcomp->incomp)
			ppp->rcomp->incomp(ppp->rc_state, skb->data - 2,
					   skb->len + 2);
	}

	return skb;

 err:
	ppp->rstate |= SC_DC_ERROR;
	ppp_receive_error(ppp);
	return skb;
}

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 Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.