diff --git a/include/net/genetlink.h b/include/net/genetlink.h
index 7b84f2cef8b1..d70510ac31ab 100644
--- a/include/net/genetlink.h
+++ b/include/net/genetlink.h
@@ -489,8 +489,10 @@ genlmsg_multicast_netns_filtered(const struct genl_family *family,
 				 netlink_filter_fn filter,
 				 void *filter_data)
 {
-	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(group >= family->n_mcgrps))
+	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(group >= family->n_mcgrps)) {
+		nlmsg_free(skb);
 		return -EINVAL;
+	}
 	group = family->mcgrp_offset + group;
 	return nlmsg_multicast_filtered(net->genl_sock, skb, portid, group,
 					flags, filter, filter_data);
diff --git a/net/netlink/genetlink.c b/net/netlink/genetlink.c
index d251d894afd4..0da39eaed255 100644
--- a/net/netlink/genetlink.c
+++ b/net/netlink/genetlink.c
@@ -1972,8 +1972,10 @@ int genlmsg_multicast_allns(const struct genl_family *family,
 			    struct sk_buff *skb, u32 portid,
 			    unsigned int group)
 {
-	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(group >= family->n_mcgrps))
+	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(group >= family->n_mcgrps)) {
+		kfree_skb(skb);
 		return -EINVAL;
+	}
 
 	group = family->mcgrp_offset + group;
 	return genlmsg_mcast(skb, portid, group);
@@ -1986,8 +1988,10 @@ void genl_notify(const struct genl_family *family, struct sk_buff *skb,
 	struct net *net = genl_info_net(info);
 	struct sock *sk = net->genl_sock;
 
-	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(group >= family->n_mcgrps))
+	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(group >= family->n_mcgrps)) {
+		kfree_skb(skb);
 		return;
+	}
 
 	group = family->mcgrp_offset + group;
 	nlmsg_notify(sk, skb, info->snd_portid, group,