diff --git a/.github/actions/spelling/expect.txt b/.github/actions/spelling/expect.txt
index 3c6fae75f2b..b54510f379d 100644
--- a/.github/actions/spelling/expect.txt
+++ b/.github/actions/spelling/expect.txt
@@ -243,6 +243,7 @@ fav
 fcb
 fdx
 featurename
+FEEEFEEE
 femto
 ffi
 ficlone
diff --git a/src/go/wsl-helper/pkg/certificates/certificates_windows.go b/src/go/wsl-helper/pkg/certificates/certificates_windows.go
index 80c98b7482b..881b2aee7c1 100644
--- a/src/go/wsl-helper/pkg/certificates/certificates_windows.go
+++ b/src/go/wsl-helper/pkg/certificates/certificates_windows.go
@@ -74,7 +74,13 @@ func GetSystemCertificates(storeName string) (<-chan Entry, error) {
 				}
 				break
 			}
-			cert, err := x509.ParseCertificate(unsafe.Slice(certCtx.EncodedCert, certCtx.Length))
+			// Make a copy of the encoded cert, because the parsed cert may have
+			// references to the memory (that isn't owned by the GC) and we'll return
+			// it in a channel, so HeapFree() might get called on it before it's used.
+			// See #6295 / #6307.
+			certData := make([]byte, certCtx.Length)
+			copy(certData, unsafe.Slice(certCtx.EncodedCert, certCtx.Length))
+			cert, err := x509.ParseCertificate(certData)
 			if err != nil {
 				// Skip invalid certs
 				logrus.Tracef("Skipping invalid certificate %q in %q: %s", getCertName(certCtx), storeName, err)
diff --git a/src/go/wsl-helper/pkg/certificates/certificates_windows_test.go b/src/go/wsl-helper/pkg/certificates/certificates_windows_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..51157aa106c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/go/wsl-helper/pkg/certificates/certificates_windows_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+package certificates_test
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"crypto/x509"
+	"encoding/pem"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/rancher-sandbox/rancher-desktop/src/go/wsl-helper/pkg/certificates"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// Test that we don't use memory that we don't own
+func TestGetSystemCertificates_UseAfterFree(t *testing.T) {
+	var certs []*x509.Certificate
+	ch, err := certificates.GetSystemCertificates("CA")
+	require.NoError(t, err, "failed to get CA certificates")
+	for entry := range ch {
+		if assert.NoError(t, err, entry.Err) {
+			certs = append(certs, entry.Cert)
+		}
+	}
+	ch, err = certificates.GetSystemCertificates("ROOT")
+	require.NoError(t, err, "failed to get ROOT certificates")
+	for entry := range ch {
+		if assert.NoError(t, err, entry.Err) {
+			certs = append(certs, entry.Cert)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// By this point, both channels have been closed, which also means we have
+	// closed both cert stores.
+	for _, cert := range certs {
+		buf := bytes.Buffer{}
+		block := &pem.Block{Type: "CERTIFICATE", Bytes: cert.Raw}
+		err = pem.Encode(&buf, block)
+		if assert.NoError(t, err, "Failed to encode certificate") {
+			// Look for invalid certificates:
+			// - A line of all A (nulls)
+			// - A line with 0xFEEEFEEE (HeapAlloc freed marker)
+			output := buf.String()
+			assert.NotContains(t, output, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA", "encoded cert contains nulls")
+			assert.NotContains(t, output, "7v7u/u7+7v7u/u7+7v7u/u7+7v7u/u7+7v7u/u7+7v7u/u7+7v7u/u7+7v7u/u7+", "encoded cert contains FEEEFEEE")
+		}
+	}
+}