diff --git a/include/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_core.h b/include/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_core.h
index 3384859a8921..8883575adcc1 100644
--- a/include/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_core.h
+++ b/include/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_core.h
@@ -83,6 +83,11 @@ void nf_conntrack_lock(spinlock_t *lock);
 
 extern spinlock_t nf_conntrack_expect_lock;
 
+static inline void lockdep_nfct_expect_lock_held(void)
+{
+	lockdep_assert_held(&nf_conntrack_expect_lock);
+}
+
 /* ctnetlink code shared by both ctnetlink and nf_conntrack_bpf */
 
 static inline void __nf_ct_set_timeout(struct nf_conn *ct, u64 timeout)
diff --git a/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_ecache.c b/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_ecache.c
index 81baf2082604..9df159448b89 100644
--- a/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_ecache.c
+++ b/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_ecache.c
@@ -247,6 +247,8 @@ void nf_ct_expect_event_report(enum ip_conntrack_expect_events event,
 	struct nf_ct_event_notifier *notify;
 	struct nf_conntrack_ecache *e;
 
+	lockdep_nfct_expect_lock_held();
+
 	rcu_read_lock();
 	notify = rcu_dereference(net->ct.nf_conntrack_event_cb);
 	if (!notify)
diff --git a/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_expect.c b/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_expect.c
index 64977db12b1d..1cbe5f1108c2 100644
--- a/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_expect.c
+++ b/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_expect.c
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ void nf_ct_unlink_expect_report(struct nf_conntrack_expect *exp,
 	struct net *net = nf_ct_exp_net(exp);
 	struct nf_conntrack_net *cnet;
 
+	lockdep_nfct_expect_lock_held();
 	WARN_ON(!master_help);
 	WARN_ON(timer_pending(&exp->timeout));
 
@@ -118,6 +119,8 @@ nf_ct_exp_equal(const struct nf_conntrack_tuple *tuple,
 
 bool nf_ct_remove_expect(struct nf_conntrack_expect *exp)
 {
+	lockdep_nfct_expect_lock_held();
+
 	if (timer_delete(&exp->timeout)) {
 		nf_ct_unlink_expect(exp);
 		nf_ct_expect_put(exp);
@@ -177,6 +180,8 @@ nf_ct_find_expectation(struct net *net,
 	struct nf_conntrack_expect *i, *exp = NULL;
 	unsigned int h;
 
+	lockdep_nfct_expect_lock_held();
+
 	if (!cnet->expect_count)
 		return NULL;
 
@@ -454,6 +459,8 @@ static inline int __nf_ct_expect_check(struct nf_conntrack_expect *expect,
 	unsigned int h;
 	int ret = 0;
 
+	lockdep_nfct_expect_lock_held();
+
 	if (!master_help) {
 		ret = -ESHUTDOWN;
 		goto out;
@@ -510,8 +517,9 @@ int nf_ct_expect_related_report(struct nf_conntrack_expect *expect,
 
 	nf_ct_expect_insert(expect);
 
-	spin_unlock_bh(&nf_conntrack_expect_lock);
 	nf_ct_expect_event_report(IPEXP_NEW, expect, portid, report);
+	spin_unlock_bh(&nf_conntrack_expect_lock);
+
 	return 0;
 out:
 	spin_unlock_bh(&nf_conntrack_expect_lock);
diff --git a/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_netlink.c b/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_netlink.c
index 8477c3736432..89540112d165 100644
--- a/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_netlink.c
+++ b/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_netlink.c
@@ -3355,31 +3355,37 @@ static int ctnetlink_get_expect(struct sk_buff *skb,
 	if (err < 0)
 		return err;
 
+	skb2 = nlmsg_new(NLMSG_DEFAULT_SIZE, GFP_KERNEL);
+	if (!skb2)
+		return -ENOMEM;
+
+	spin_lock_bh(&nf_conntrack_expect_lock);
 	exp = nf_ct_expect_find_get(info->net, &zone, &tuple);
-	if (!exp)
+	if (!exp) {
+		spin_unlock_bh(&nf_conntrack_expect_lock);
+		kfree_skb(skb2);
 		return -ENOENT;
+	}
 
 	if (cda[CTA_EXPECT_ID]) {
 		__be32 id = nla_get_be32(cda[CTA_EXPECT_ID]);
 
 		if (id != nf_expect_get_id(exp)) {
 			nf_ct_expect_put(exp);
+			spin_unlock_bh(&nf_conntrack_expect_lock);
+			kfree_skb(skb2);
 			return -ENOENT;
 		}
 	}
 
-	skb2 = nlmsg_new(NLMSG_DEFAULT_SIZE, GFP_KERNEL);
-	if (!skb2) {
-		nf_ct_expect_put(exp);
-		return -ENOMEM;
-	}
-
 	rcu_read_lock();
 	err = ctnetlink_exp_fill_info(skb2, NETLINK_CB(skb).portid,
 				      info->nlh->nlmsg_seq, IPCTNL_MSG_EXP_NEW,
 				      exp);
 	rcu_read_unlock();
 	nf_ct_expect_put(exp);
+	spin_unlock_bh(&nf_conntrack_expect_lock);
+
 	if (err <= 0) {
 		kfree_skb(skb2);
 		return -ENOMEM;
@@ -3426,22 +3432,26 @@ static int ctnetlink_del_expect(struct sk_buff *skb,
 		if (err < 0)
 			return err;
 
+		spin_lock_bh(&nf_conntrack_expect_lock);
+
 		/* bump usage count to 2 */
 		exp = nf_ct_expect_find_get(info->net, &zone, &tuple);
-		if (!exp)
+		if (!exp) {
+			spin_unlock_bh(&nf_conntrack_expect_lock);
 			return -ENOENT;
+		}
 
 		if (cda[CTA_EXPECT_ID]) {
 			__be32 id = nla_get_be32(cda[CTA_EXPECT_ID]);
 
 			if (id != nf_expect_get_id(exp)) {
 				nf_ct_expect_put(exp);
+				spin_unlock_bh(&nf_conntrack_expect_lock);
 				return -ENOENT;
 			}
 		}
 
 		/* after list removal, usage count == 1 */
-		spin_lock_bh(&nf_conntrack_expect_lock);
 		if (timer_delete(&exp->timeout)) {
 			nf_ct_unlink_expect_report(exp, NETLINK_CB(skb).portid,
 						   nlmsg_report(info->nlh));