diff --git a/drivers/net/wan/lapbether.c b/drivers/net/wan/lapbether.c
index f5657783fad4..6eb0f7a85e53 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wan/lapbether.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wan/lapbether.c
@@ -160,6 +160,12 @@ static netdev_tx_t lapbeth_xmit(struct sk_buff *skb,
 	if (!netif_running(dev))
 		goto drop;
 
+	/* There should be a pseudo header of 1 byte added by upper layers.
+	 * Check to make sure it is there before reading it.
+	 */
+	if (skb->len < 1)
+		goto drop;
+
 	switch (skb->data[0]) {
 	case X25_IFACE_DATA:
 		break;
@@ -308,6 +314,7 @@ static void lapbeth_setup(struct net_device *dev)
 	dev->netdev_ops	     = &lapbeth_netdev_ops;
 	dev->destructor	     = free_netdev;
 	dev->type            = ARPHRD_X25;
+	dev->hard_header_len = 0;
 	dev->mtu             = 1000;
 	dev->addr_len        = 0;
 }
@@ -334,7 +341,8 @@ static int lapbeth_new_device(struct net_device *dev)
 	 * then this driver prepends a length field of 2 bytes,
 	 * then the underlying Ethernet device prepends its own header.
 	 */
-	ndev->hard_header_len = -1 + 3 + 2 + dev->hard_header_len;
+	ndev->needed_headroom = -1 + 3 + 2 + dev->hard_header_len
+					   + dev->needed_headroom;
 
 	lapbeth = netdev_priv(ndev);
 	lapbeth->axdev = ndev;