int expand_downwards(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
				   unsigned long address)
 {
 	struct mm_struct *mm = vma->vm_mm;
 	struct vm_area_struct *prev;
	int error;
 
 	address &= PAGE_MASK;
	error = security_mmap_addr(address);
	if (error)
		return error;
 
 	/* Enforce stack_guard_gap */
 	prev = vma->vm_prev;
	/* Check that both stack segments have the same anon_vma? */
	if (prev && !(prev->vm_flags & VM_GROWSDOWN) &&
			(prev->vm_flags & (VM_WRITE|VM_READ|VM_EXEC))) {
		if (address - prev->vm_end < stack_guard_gap)
			return -ENOMEM;
	}

	/* We must make sure the anon_vma is allocated. */
	if (unlikely(anon_vma_prepare(vma)))
		return -ENOMEM;

	/*
	 * vma->vm_start/vm_end cannot change under us because the caller
	 * is required to hold the mmap_sem in read mode.  We need the
	 * anon_vma lock to serialize against concurrent expand_stacks.
	 */
	anon_vma_lock_write(vma->anon_vma);

	/* Somebody else might have raced and expanded it already */
	if (address < vma->vm_start) {
		unsigned long size, grow;

		size = vma->vm_end - address;
		grow = (vma->vm_start - address) >> PAGE_SHIFT;

		error = -ENOMEM;
		if (grow <= vma->vm_pgoff) {
			error = acct_stack_growth(vma, size, grow);
			if (!error) {
				/*
				 * vma_gap_update() doesn't support concurrent
				 * updates, but we only hold a shared mmap_sem
				 * lock here, so we need to protect against
				 * concurrent vma expansions.
				 * anon_vma_lock_write() doesn't help here, as
				 * we don't guarantee that all growable vmas
				 * in a mm share the same root anon vma.
				 * So, we reuse mm->page_table_lock to guard
				 * against concurrent vma expansions.
				 */
				spin_lock(&mm->page_table_lock);
				if (vma->vm_flags & VM_LOCKED)
					mm->locked_vm += grow;
				vm_stat_account(mm, vma->vm_flags, grow);
				anon_vma_interval_tree_pre_update_vma(vma);
				vma->vm_start = address;
				vma->vm_pgoff -= grow;
				anon_vma_interval_tree_post_update_vma(vma);
				vma_gap_update(vma);
				spin_unlock(&mm->page_table_lock);

				perf_event_mmap(vma);
			}
		}
	}
	anon_vma_unlock_write(vma->anon_vma);
	khugepaged_enter_vma_merge(vma, vma->vm_flags);
	validate_mm(mm);
	return error;
}

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.