{
        int ret = 0;
 
-       /* we want to avoid races with nf_ct_timeout_find_get. */
-       if (atomic_dec_and_test(&timeout->refcnt)) {
+       /* We want to avoid races with ctnl_timeout_put. So only when the
+        * current refcnt is 1, we decrease it to 0.
+        */
+       if (atomic_cmpxchg(&timeout->refcnt, 1, 0) == 1) {
                /* We are protected by nfnl mutex. */
                list_del_rcu(&timeout->head);
                nf_ct_l4proto_put(timeout->l4proto);
                ctnl_untimeout(net, timeout);
                kfree_rcu(timeout, rcu_head);
        } else {
-               /* still in use, restore reference counter. */
-               atomic_inc(&timeout->refcnt);
                ret = -EBUSY;
        }
        return ret;
 
 static void ctnl_timeout_put(struct ctnl_timeout *timeout)
 {
-       atomic_dec(&timeout->refcnt);
+       if (atomic_dec_and_test(&timeout->refcnt))
+               kfree_rcu(timeout, rcu_head);
+
        module_put(THIS_MODULE);
 }
 #endif /* CONFIG_NF_CONNTRACK_TIMEOUT */
        list_for_each_entry_safe(cur, tmp, &net->nfct_timeout_list, head) {
                list_del_rcu(&cur->head);
                nf_ct_l4proto_put(cur->l4proto);
-               kfree_rcu(cur, rcu_head);
+
+               if (atomic_dec_and_test(&cur->refcnt))
+                       kfree_rcu(cur, rcu_head);
        }
 }