ppp_set_compress(struct ppp *ppp, unsigned long arg)
{
	int err;
	struct compressor *cp, *ocomp;
	struct ppp_option_data data;
	void *state, *ostate;
	unsigned char ccp_option[CCP_MAX_OPTION_LENGTH];

	err = -EFAULT;
	if (copy_from_user(&data, (void __user *) arg, sizeof(data)))
		goto out;
	if (data.length > CCP_MAX_OPTION_LENGTH)
		goto out;
	if (copy_from_user(ccp_option, (void __user *) data.ptr, data.length))
		goto out;

	err = -EINVAL;
	if (data.length < 2 || ccp_option[1] < 2 || ccp_option[1] > data.length)
		goto out;

	cp = try_then_request_module(
		find_compressor(ccp_option[0]),
		"ppp-compress-%d", ccp_option[0]);
	if (!cp)
		goto out;

	err = -ENOBUFS;
	if (data.transmit) {
		state = cp->comp_alloc(ccp_option, data.length);
		if (state) {
			ppp_xmit_lock(ppp);
			ppp->xstate &= ~SC_COMP_RUN;
			ocomp = ppp->xcomp;
			ostate = ppp->xc_state;
			ppp->xcomp = cp;
			ppp->xc_state = state;
			ppp_xmit_unlock(ppp);
			if (ostate) {
				ocomp->comp_free(ostate);
				module_put(ocomp->owner);
			}
			err = 0;
		} else
			module_put(cp->owner);

	} else {
		state = cp->decomp_alloc(ccp_option, data.length);
		if (state) {
			ppp_recv_lock(ppp);
			ppp->rstate &= ~SC_DECOMP_RUN;
			ocomp = ppp->rcomp;
			ostate = ppp->rc_state;
			ppp->rcomp = cp;
			ppp->rc_state = state;
			ppp_recv_unlock(ppp);
			if (ostate) {
				ocomp->decomp_free(ostate);
				module_put(ocomp->owner);
			}
			err = 0;
		} else
			module_put(cp->owner);
	}

 out:
	return err;
}

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 Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.