}
 }
 
-static int count_them(struct net *net,
-                     struct xt_connlimit_data *data,
-                     const struct nf_conntrack_tuple *tuple,
-                     const union nf_inet_addr *addr,
-                     const union nf_inet_addr *mask,
-                     u_int8_t family)
+static int count_hlist(struct net *net,
+                      struct hlist_head *head,
+                      const struct nf_conntrack_tuple *tuple,
+                      const union nf_inet_addr *addr,
+                      const union nf_inet_addr *mask,
+                      u_int8_t family)
 {
        const struct nf_conntrack_tuple_hash *found;
        struct xt_connlimit_conn *conn;
        struct hlist_node *n;
        struct nf_conn *found_ct;
-       struct hlist_head *hash;
        bool addit = true;
        int matches = 0;
 
-       if (family == NFPROTO_IPV6)
-               hash = &data->iphash[connlimit_iphash6(addr, mask)];
-       else
-               hash = &data->iphash[connlimit_iphash(addr->ip & mask->ip)];
-
        rcu_read_lock();
 
        /* check the saved connections */
-       hlist_for_each_entry_safe(conn, n, hash, node) {
+       hlist_for_each_entry_safe(conn, n, head, node) {
                found    = nf_conntrack_find_get(net, NF_CT_DEFAULT_ZONE,
                                                 &conn->tuple);
                found_ct = NULL;
                        return -ENOMEM;
                conn->tuple = *tuple;
                conn->addr = *addr;
-               hlist_add_head(&conn->node, hash);
+               hlist_add_head(&conn->node, head);
                ++matches;
        }
 
        return matches;
 }
 
+static int count_them(struct net *net,
+                     struct xt_connlimit_data *data,
+                     const struct nf_conntrack_tuple *tuple,
+                     const union nf_inet_addr *addr,
+                     const union nf_inet_addr *mask,
+                     u_int8_t family)
+{
+       struct hlist_head *hhead;
+       int count;
+       u32 hash;
+
+       if (family == NFPROTO_IPV6)
+               hash = connlimit_iphash6(addr, mask);
+       else
+               hash = connlimit_iphash(addr->ip & mask->ip);
+
+       hhead = &data->iphash[hash];
+
+       spin_lock_bh(&data->lock);
+       count = count_hlist(net, hhead, tuple, addr, mask, family);
+       spin_unlock_bh(&data->lock);
+
+       return count;
+}
+
 static bool
 connlimit_mt(const struct sk_buff *skb, struct xt_action_param *par)
 {
                          iph->daddr : iph->saddr;
        }
 
-       spin_lock_bh(&info->data->lock);
        connections = count_them(net, info->data, tuple_ptr, &addr,
                                 &info->mask, par->family);
-       spin_unlock_bh(&info->data->lock);
 
        if (connections < 0)
                /* kmalloc failed, drop it entirely */