diff --git a/drivers/crypto/qat/qat_common/qat_uclo.c b/drivers/crypto/qat/qat_common/qat_uclo.c
index 4cc1f436b075..bff759e2f811 100644
--- a/drivers/crypto/qat/qat_common/qat_uclo.c
+++ b/drivers/crypto/qat/qat_common/qat_uclo.c
@@ -288,13 +288,18 @@ static int qat_uclo_create_batch_init_list(struct icp_qat_fw_loader_handle
 	}
 	return 0;
 out_err:
+	/* Do not free the list head unless we allocated it. */
+	tail_old = tail_old->next;
+	if (flag) {
+		kfree(*init_tab_base);
+		*init_tab_base = NULL;
+	}
+
 	while (tail_old) {
 		mem_init = tail_old->next;
 		kfree(tail_old);
 		tail_old = mem_init;
 	}
-	if (flag)
-		kfree(*init_tab_base);
 	return -ENOMEM;
 }