diff --git a/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion-ioctl.c b/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion-ioctl.c
index f260e0e70488..d47e9b4171e2 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion-ioctl.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion-ioctl.c
@@ -30,6 +30,69 @@ union ion_ioctl_arg {
 	struct ion_heap_query query;
 };
 
+/* Must hold the client lock */
+static void user_ion_handle_get(struct ion_handle *handle)
+{
+	if (handle->user_ref_count++ == 0)
+		kref_get(&handle->ref);
+}
+
+/* Must hold the client lock */
+static struct ion_handle *user_ion_handle_get_check_overflow(
+	struct ion_handle *handle)
+{
+	if (handle->user_ref_count + 1 == 0)
+		return ERR_PTR(-EOVERFLOW);
+	user_ion_handle_get(handle);
+	return handle;
+}
+
+/* passes a kref to the user ref count.
+ * We know we're holding a kref to the object before and
+ * after this call, so no need to reverify handle.
+ */
+static struct ion_handle *pass_to_user(struct ion_handle *handle)
+{
+	struct ion_client *client = handle->client;
+	struct ion_handle *ret;
+
+	mutex_lock(&client->lock);
+	ret = user_ion_handle_get_check_overflow(handle);
+	ion_handle_put_nolock(handle);
+	mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
+	return ret;
+}
+
+/* Must hold the client lock */
+static int user_ion_handle_put_nolock(struct ion_handle *handle)
+{
+	int ret;
+
+	if (--handle->user_ref_count == 0)
+		ret = ion_handle_put_nolock(handle);
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
+static void user_ion_free_nolock(struct ion_client *client,
+				 struct ion_handle *handle)
+{
+	bool valid_handle;
+
+	WARN_ON(client != handle->client);
+
+	valid_handle = ion_handle_validate(client, handle);
+	if (!valid_handle) {
+		WARN(1, "%s: invalid handle passed to free.\n", __func__);
+		return;
+	}
+	if (handle->user_ref_count == 0) {
+		WARN(1, "%s: User does not have access!\n", __func__);
+		return;
+	}
+	user_ion_handle_put_nolock(handle);
+}
+
 static int validate_ioctl_arg(unsigned int cmd, union ion_ioctl_arg *arg)
 {
 	int ret = 0;
@@ -102,7 +165,7 @@ long ion_ioctl(struct file *filp, unsigned int cmd, unsigned long arg)
 				     data.allocation.flags, true);
 		if (IS_ERR(handle))
 			return PTR_ERR(handle);
-
+		pass_to_user(handle);
 		data.allocation.handle = handle->id;
 
 		cleanup_handle = handle;
@@ -118,7 +181,7 @@ long ion_ioctl(struct file *filp, unsigned int cmd, unsigned long arg)
 			mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
 			return PTR_ERR(handle);
 		}
-		ion_free_nolock(client, handle);
+		user_ion_free_nolock(client, handle);
 		ion_handle_put_nolock(handle);
 		mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
 		break;
@@ -146,10 +209,15 @@ long ion_ioctl(struct file *filp, unsigned int cmd, unsigned long arg)
 		struct ion_handle *handle;
 
 		handle = ion_import_dma_buf_fd(client, data.fd.fd);
-		if (IS_ERR(handle))
+		if (IS_ERR(handle)) {
 			ret = PTR_ERR(handle);
-		else
-			data.handle.handle = handle->id;
+		} else {
+			handle = pass_to_user(handle);
+			if (IS_ERR(handle))
+				ret = PTR_ERR(handle);
+			else
+				data.handle.handle = handle->id;
+		}
 		break;
 	}
 	case ION_IOC_SYNC:
@@ -175,8 +243,10 @@ long ion_ioctl(struct file *filp, unsigned int cmd, unsigned long arg)
 	if (dir & _IOC_READ) {
 		if (copy_to_user((void __user *)arg, &data, _IOC_SIZE(cmd))) {
 			if (cleanup_handle) {
-				ion_free(client, cleanup_handle);
-				ion_handle_put(cleanup_handle);
+				mutex_lock(&client->lock);
+				user_ion_free_nolock(client, cleanup_handle);
+				ion_handle_put_nolock(cleanup_handle);
+				mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
 			}
 			return -EFAULT;
 		}
diff --git a/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion.c b/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion.c
index 4f769213be1b..b272f2ab87e8 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion.c
@@ -363,8 +363,8 @@ struct ion_handle *ion_handle_get_by_id_nolock(struct ion_client *client,
 	return ERR_PTR(-EINVAL);
 }
 
-static bool ion_handle_validate(struct ion_client *client,
-				struct ion_handle *handle)
+bool ion_handle_validate(struct ion_client *client,
+			 struct ion_handle *handle)
 {
 	WARN_ON(!mutex_is_locked(&client->lock));
 	return idr_find(&client->idr, handle->id) == handle;
diff --git a/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion_priv.h b/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion_priv.h
index 760e41885448..e1dd25eab1db 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion_priv.h
+++ b/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion_priv.h
@@ -149,6 +149,7 @@ struct ion_client {
  */
 struct ion_handle {
 	struct kref ref;
+	unsigned int user_ref_count;
 	struct ion_client *client;
 	struct ion_buffer *buffer;
 	struct rb_node node;
@@ -459,6 +460,9 @@ int ion_sync_for_device(struct ion_client *client, int fd);
 struct ion_handle *ion_handle_get_by_id_nolock(struct ion_client *client,
 						int id);
 
+bool ion_handle_validate(struct ion_client *client,
+			 struct ion_handle *handle);
+
 void ion_free_nolock(struct ion_client *client, struct ion_handle *handle);
 
 int ion_handle_put_nolock(struct ion_handle *handle);