diff --git a/drivers/net/loopback.c b/drivers/net/loopback.c
index 55ecd5ebac0f..8a6cb34e6b5f 100644
--- a/drivers/net/loopback.c
+++ b/drivers/net/loopback.c
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(blackhole_netdev);
 static netdev_tx_t loopback_xmit(struct sk_buff *skb,
 				 struct net_device *dev)
 {
+	enum skb_drop_reason reason;
 	int len;
 
 	skb_tx_timestamp(skb);
@@ -84,7 +85,12 @@ static netdev_tx_t loopback_xmit(struct sk_buff *skb,
 	 */
 	skb_dst_force(skb);
 
-	skb->protocol = eth_type_trans(skb, dev);
+	reason = eth_type_trans_careful(skb, dev);
+	if (unlikely(reason)) {
+		dev_core_stats_tx_dropped_inc(dev);
+		kfree_skb_reason(skb, reason);
+		return NETDEV_TX_OK;
+	}
 
 	len = skb->len;
 	if (likely(__netif_rx(skb) == NET_RX_SUCCESS))
diff --git a/include/linux/etherdevice.h b/include/linux/etherdevice.h
index df8f88f63a70..1f833ebd71ed 100644
--- a/include/linux/etherdevice.h
+++ b/include/linux/etherdevice.h
@@ -38,6 +38,34 @@ int fwnode_get_mac_address(struct fwnode_handle *fwnode, char *addr);
 
 u32 eth_get_headlen(const struct net_device *dev, const void *data, u32 len);
 __be16 eth_type_trans(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *dev);
+
+/**
+ * eth_type_trans_careful - eth_type_trans() for skbs coming from the stack
+ * @skb: buffer, possibly with less than ETH_HLEN bytes in its linear area
+ * @dev: receiving network device
+ *
+ * eth_type_trans() expects ETH_HLEN bytes in skb->head, which NIC drivers
+ * provide. Devices looping skbs from their transmit path back to the
+ * receive path (loopback, OVS internal ports) get skbs built by the stack,
+ * whose link-layer header might have been popped by tc or OVS actions.
+ *
+ * Sets skb->protocol on success.
+ *
+ * Return: SKB_NOT_DROPPED_YET on success, or a drop reason. In the latter
+ * case, the caller must free @skb.
+ */
+static inline enum skb_drop_reason
+eth_type_trans_careful(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *dev)
+{
+	enum skb_drop_reason reason = pskb_may_pull_reason(skb, ETH_HLEN);
+
+	if (unlikely(reason))
+		return reason;
+
+	skb->protocol = eth_type_trans(skb, dev);
+	return SKB_NOT_DROPPED_YET;
+}
+
 extern const struct header_ops eth_header_ops;
 
 int eth_header(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *dev, unsigned short type,
diff --git a/net/core/dev.c b/net/core/dev.c
index 87a79d6004c8..3ac700d37e59 100644
--- a/net/core/dev.c
+++ b/net/core/dev.c
@@ -2501,14 +2501,22 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(is_skb_forwardable);
 static int __dev_forward_skb2(struct net_device *dev, struct sk_buff *skb,
 			      bool check_mtu)
 {
-	int ret = ____dev_forward_skb(dev, skb, check_mtu);
+	enum skb_drop_reason reason;
+	int ret;
 
-	if (likely(!ret)) {
-		skb->protocol = eth_type_trans(skb, dev);
-		skb_postpull_rcsum(skb, eth_hdr(skb), ETH_HLEN);
+	ret = ____dev_forward_skb(dev, skb, check_mtu);
+	if (unlikely(ret))
+		return ret;
+
+	reason = eth_type_trans_careful(skb, dev);
+	if (unlikely(reason)) {
+		dev_core_stats_rx_dropped_inc(dev);
+		kfree_skb_reason(skb, reason);
+		return NET_RX_DROP;
 	}
+	skb_postpull_rcsum(skb, eth_hdr(skb), ETH_HLEN);
 
-	return ret;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 int __dev_forward_skb(struct net_device *dev, struct sk_buff *skb)
diff --git a/net/openvswitch/vport-internal_dev.c b/net/openvswitch/vport-internal_dev.c
index 77a16d5ebd54..8f035087f0ee 100644
--- a/net/openvswitch/vport-internal_dev.c
+++ b/net/openvswitch/vport-internal_dev.c
@@ -188,6 +188,7 @@ static void internal_dev_destroy(struct vport *vport)
 static int internal_dev_recv(struct sk_buff *skb)
 {
 	struct net_device *netdev = skb->dev;
+	enum skb_drop_reason reason;
 
 	if (unlikely(!(netdev->flags & IFF_UP))) {
 		kfree_skb(skb);
@@ -199,7 +200,12 @@ static int internal_dev_recv(struct sk_buff *skb)
 	nf_reset_ct(skb);
 
 	skb->pkt_type = PACKET_HOST;
-	skb->protocol = eth_type_trans(skb, netdev);
+	reason = eth_type_trans_careful(skb, netdev);
+	if (unlikely(reason)) {
+		dev_core_stats_rx_dropped_inc(netdev);
+		kfree_skb_reason(skb, reason);
+		return NETDEV_TX_OK;
+	}
 	skb_postpull_rcsum(skb, eth_hdr(skb), ETH_HLEN);
 	dev_sw_netstats_rx_add(netdev, skb->len);
 
diff --git a/net/sched/act_ife.c b/net/sched/act_ife.c
index 2afd68983ece..3946a9589bb8 100644
--- a/net/sched/act_ife.c
+++ b/net/sched/act_ife.c
@@ -769,6 +769,10 @@ static int tcf_ife_decode(struct sk_buff *skb, const struct tc_action *a,
 
 	skb->protocol = eth_type_trans(skb, skb->dev);
 	skb_reset_network_header(skb);
+	if (!skb_at_tc_ingress(skb)) {
+		skb_push(skb, ETH_HLEN);
+		skb_reset_mac_len(skb);
+	}
 
 	return action;
 }
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/empty_skb.c b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/empty_skb.c
index c9fcb70cbafb..a3938c16557b 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/empty_skb.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/empty_skb.c
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ void test_empty_skb(void)
 		int *ifindex;
 		int err;
 		int ret;
-		int lwt_egress_ret; /* expected retval at lwt/egress */
+		int lwt_ret; /* expected retval at lwt */
 		__be16 h_proto;
 		bool success_on_tc;
 		bool adjust_room;
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ void test_empty_skb(void)
 			.data_size_in = sizeof(eth_hlen),
 			.ifindex = &veth_ifindex,
 			.ret = -ERANGE,
-			.lwt_egress_ret = -ERANGE,
+			.lwt_ret = -ERANGE,
 			.success_on_tc = true,
 		},
 		{
@@ -96,17 +96,23 @@ void test_empty_skb(void)
 			.data_size_in = sizeof(eth_hlen),
 			.ifindex = &ipip_ifindex,
 			.ret = -ERANGE,
-			.lwt_egress_ret = -ERANGE,
+			.lwt_ret = -ERANGE,
 		},
 
-		/* ETH_HLEN+1-sized packet should be redirected. */
+		/* ETH_HLEN+1-sized packet should be redirected at TC.
+		 * At LWT, the Ethernet header is not part of the skb, and
+		 * a 1-byte packet is too short for an Ethernet device.
+		 */
 
 		{
 			.msg = "veth ETH_HLEN+1 packet ingress",
 			.data_in = eth_hlen_pp,
 			.data_size_in = sizeof(eth_hlen_pp),
 			.ifindex = &veth_ifindex,
-			.lwt_egress_ret = 1, /* veth_xmit NET_XMIT_DROP */
+			/* lwt: skb->len=1, dropped by veth_xmit() at egress
+			 * and by __dev_forward_skb2() at ingress.
+			 */
+			.lwt_ret = 1, /* NET_XMIT_DROP / NET_RX_DROP */
 		},
 		{
 			.msg = "ipip ETH_HLEN+1 packet ingress",
@@ -144,7 +150,6 @@ void test_empty_skb(void)
 			eth_hlen.h_proto = tests[i].h_proto;
 
 		bpf_object__for_each_program(prog, bpf_obj->obj) {
-			bool at_egress = strstr(bpf_program__name(prog), "egress") != NULL;
 			bool at_tc = !strncmp(bpf_program__section_name(prog), "tc", 2);
 			bool is_adjust_room = !strcmp(bpf_program__name(prog), "tc_adjust_room");
 			int expected_ret;
@@ -153,7 +158,7 @@ void test_empty_skb(void)
 			if (tests[i].adjust_room != is_adjust_room)
 				continue;
 
-			expected_ret = at_egress && !at_tc ? tests[i].lwt_egress_ret : tests[i].ret;
+			expected_ret = at_tc ? tests[i].ret : tests[i].lwt_ret;
 
 			tattr.data_in = tests[i].data_in;
 			tattr.data_size_in = tests[i].data_size_in;