In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: igb: Fix use-after-free error during reset Cleans the next descriptor to watch (next_to_watch) when cleaning the TX ring. Failure to do so can cause invalid memory accesses. If igb_poll() runs while the controller is reset this can lead to the driver try to free a skb that was already freed. (The crash is harder to reproduce with the igb driver, but the same potential problem exists as the code is identical to igc)
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 Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.