diff --git a/net/l2tp/l2tp_core.c b/net/l2tp/l2tp_core.c
index f29911ab3b80..3bce65183c95 100644
--- a/net/l2tp/l2tp_core.c
+++ b/net/l2tp/l2tp_core.c
@@ -356,7 +356,8 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(l2tp_session_get_nth);
 /* Lookup a session by interface name.
  * This is very inefficient but is only used by management interfaces.
  */
-struct l2tp_session *l2tp_session_find_by_ifname(struct net *net, char *ifname)
+struct l2tp_session *l2tp_session_get_by_ifname(struct net *net, char *ifname,
+						bool do_ref)
 {
 	struct l2tp_net *pn = l2tp_pernet(net);
 	int hash;
@@ -366,7 +367,11 @@ struct l2tp_session *l2tp_session_find_by_ifname(struct net *net, char *ifname)
 	for (hash = 0; hash < L2TP_HASH_SIZE_2; hash++) {
 		hlist_for_each_entry_rcu(session, &pn->l2tp_session_hlist[hash], global_hlist) {
 			if (!strcmp(session->ifname, ifname)) {
+				l2tp_session_inc_refcount(session);
+				if (do_ref && session->ref)
+					session->ref(session);
 				rcu_read_unlock_bh();
+
 				return session;
 			}
 		}
@@ -376,7 +381,7 @@ struct l2tp_session *l2tp_session_find_by_ifname(struct net *net, char *ifname)
 
 	return NULL;
 }
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(l2tp_session_find_by_ifname);
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(l2tp_session_get_by_ifname);
 
 static int l2tp_session_add_to_tunnel(struct l2tp_tunnel *tunnel,
 				      struct l2tp_session *session)
diff --git a/net/l2tp/l2tp_core.h b/net/l2tp/l2tp_core.h
index 1d020505bf06..0095012509ac 100644
--- a/net/l2tp/l2tp_core.h
+++ b/net/l2tp/l2tp_core.h
@@ -248,7 +248,8 @@ struct l2tp_session *l2tp_session_find(struct net *net,
 				       u32 session_id);
 struct l2tp_session *l2tp_session_get_nth(struct l2tp_tunnel *tunnel, int nth,
 					  bool do_ref);
-struct l2tp_session *l2tp_session_find_by_ifname(struct net *net, char *ifname);
+struct l2tp_session *l2tp_session_get_by_ifname(struct net *net, char *ifname,
+						bool do_ref);
 struct l2tp_tunnel *l2tp_tunnel_find(struct net *net, u32 tunnel_id);
 struct l2tp_tunnel *l2tp_tunnel_find_nth(struct net *net, int nth);
 
diff --git a/net/l2tp/l2tp_netlink.c b/net/l2tp/l2tp_netlink.c
index 8c0f48350027..1ccd310d01a5 100644
--- a/net/l2tp/l2tp_netlink.c
+++ b/net/l2tp/l2tp_netlink.c
@@ -55,7 +55,8 @@ static int l2tp_nl_session_send(struct sk_buff *skb, u32 portid, u32 seq,
 /* Accessed under genl lock */
 static const struct l2tp_nl_cmd_ops *l2tp_nl_cmd_ops[__L2TP_PWTYPE_MAX];
 
-static struct l2tp_session *l2tp_nl_session_find(struct genl_info *info)
+static struct l2tp_session *l2tp_nl_session_get(struct genl_info *info,
+						bool do_ref)
 {
 	u32 tunnel_id;
 	u32 session_id;
@@ -66,14 +67,15 @@ static struct l2tp_session *l2tp_nl_session_find(struct genl_info *info)
 
 	if (info->attrs[L2TP_ATTR_IFNAME]) {
 		ifname = nla_data(info->attrs[L2TP_ATTR_IFNAME]);
-		session = l2tp_session_find_by_ifname(net, ifname);
+		session = l2tp_session_get_by_ifname(net, ifname, do_ref);
 	} else if ((info->attrs[L2TP_ATTR_SESSION_ID]) &&
 		   (info->attrs[L2TP_ATTR_CONN_ID])) {
 		tunnel_id = nla_get_u32(info->attrs[L2TP_ATTR_CONN_ID]);
 		session_id = nla_get_u32(info->attrs[L2TP_ATTR_SESSION_ID]);
 		tunnel = l2tp_tunnel_find(net, tunnel_id);
 		if (tunnel)
-			session = l2tp_session_find(net, tunnel, session_id);
+			session = l2tp_session_get(net, tunnel, session_id,
+						   do_ref);
 	}
 
 	return session;
@@ -652,7 +654,7 @@ static int l2tp_nl_cmd_session_delete(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *inf
 	struct l2tp_session *session;
 	u16 pw_type;
 
-	session = l2tp_nl_session_find(info);
+	session = l2tp_nl_session_get(info, true);
 	if (session == NULL) {
 		ret = -ENODEV;
 		goto out;
@@ -666,6 +668,10 @@ static int l2tp_nl_cmd_session_delete(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *inf
 		if (l2tp_nl_cmd_ops[pw_type] && l2tp_nl_cmd_ops[pw_type]->session_delete)
 			ret = (*l2tp_nl_cmd_ops[pw_type]->session_delete)(session);
 
+	if (session->deref)
+		session->deref(session);
+	l2tp_session_dec_refcount(session);
+
 out:
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -675,7 +681,7 @@ static int l2tp_nl_cmd_session_modify(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *inf
 	int ret = 0;
 	struct l2tp_session *session;
 
-	session = l2tp_nl_session_find(info);
+	session = l2tp_nl_session_get(info, false);
 	if (session == NULL) {
 		ret = -ENODEV;
 		goto out;
@@ -710,6 +716,8 @@ static int l2tp_nl_cmd_session_modify(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *inf
 	ret = l2tp_session_notify(&l2tp_nl_family, info,
 				  session, L2TP_CMD_SESSION_MODIFY);
 
+	l2tp_session_dec_refcount(session);
+
 out:
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -805,29 +813,34 @@ static int l2tp_nl_cmd_session_get(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *info)
 	struct sk_buff *msg;
 	int ret;
 
-	session = l2tp_nl_session_find(info);
+	session = l2tp_nl_session_get(info, false);
 	if (session == NULL) {
 		ret = -ENODEV;
-		goto out;
+		goto err;
 	}
 
 	msg = nlmsg_new(NLMSG_DEFAULT_SIZE, GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!msg) {
 		ret = -ENOMEM;
-		goto out;
+		goto err_ref;
 	}
 
 	ret = l2tp_nl_session_send(msg, info->snd_portid, info->snd_seq,
 				   0, session, L2TP_CMD_SESSION_GET);
 	if (ret < 0)
-		goto err_out;
+		goto err_ref_msg;
 
-	return genlmsg_unicast(genl_info_net(info), msg, info->snd_portid);
+	ret = genlmsg_unicast(genl_info_net(info), msg, info->snd_portid);
 
-err_out:
+	l2tp_session_dec_refcount(session);
+
+	return ret;
+
+err_ref_msg:
 	nlmsg_free(msg);
-
-out:
+err_ref:
+	l2tp_session_dec_refcount(session);
+err:
 	return ret;
 }