diff --git a/include/net/net_namespace.h b/include/net/net_namespace.h
index 10f99dafd5ac..049008493faf 100644
--- a/include/net/net_namespace.h
+++ b/include/net/net_namespace.h
@@ -223,6 +223,11 @@ int net_eq(const struct net *net1, const struct net *net2)
 	return net1 == net2;
 }
 
+static inline int check_net(const struct net *net)
+{
+	return atomic_read(&net->count) != 0;
+}
+
 void net_drop_ns(void *);
 
 #else
@@ -247,6 +252,11 @@ int net_eq(const struct net *net1, const struct net *net2)
 	return 1;
 }
 
+static inline int check_net(const struct net *net)
+{
+	return 1;
+}
+
 #define net_drop_ns NULL
 #endif
 
diff --git a/net/ipv4/tcp.c b/net/ipv4/tcp.c
index f08eebe60446..8e053ad7cae2 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/tcp.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/tcp.c
@@ -2298,6 +2298,9 @@ void tcp_close(struct sock *sk, long timeout)
 			tcp_send_active_reset(sk, GFP_ATOMIC);
 			__NET_INC_STATS(sock_net(sk),
 					LINUX_MIB_TCPABORTONMEMORY);
+		} else if (!check_net(sock_net(sk))) {
+			/* Not possible to send reset; just close */
+			tcp_set_state(sk, TCP_CLOSE);
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/net/ipv4/tcp_timer.c b/net/ipv4/tcp_timer.c
index 968fda198376..388158c9d9f6 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/tcp_timer.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/tcp_timer.c
@@ -48,11 +48,19 @@ static void tcp_write_err(struct sock *sk)
  *  to prevent DoS attacks. It is called when a retransmission timeout
  *  or zero probe timeout occurs on orphaned socket.
  *
+ *  Also close if our net namespace is exiting; in that case there is no
+ *  hope of ever communicating again since all netns interfaces are already
+ *  down (or about to be down), and we need to release our dst references,
+ *  which have been moved to the netns loopback interface, so the namespace
+ *  can finish exiting.  This condition is only possible if we are a kernel
+ *  socket, as those do not hold references to the namespace.
+ *
  *  Criteria is still not confirmed experimentally and may change.
  *  We kill the socket, if:
  *  1. If number of orphaned sockets exceeds an administratively configured
  *     limit.
  *  2. If we have strong memory pressure.
+ *  3. If our net namespace is exiting.
  */
 static int tcp_out_of_resources(struct sock *sk, bool do_reset)
 {
@@ -81,6 +89,13 @@ static int tcp_out_of_resources(struct sock *sk, bool do_reset)
 		__NET_INC_STATS(sock_net(sk), LINUX_MIB_TCPABORTONMEMORY);
 		return 1;
 	}
+
+	if (!check_net(sock_net(sk))) {
+		/* Not possible to send reset; just close */
+		tcp_done(sk);
+		return 1;
+	}
+
 	return 0;
 }