diff --git a/drivers/vhost/vringh.c b/drivers/vhost/vringh.c
index 0bd7e64331f0..5a0340c85dc6 100644
--- a/drivers/vhost/vringh.c
+++ b/drivers/vhost/vringh.c
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ __vringh_iov(struct vringh *vrh, u16 i,
 	     int (*copy)(const struct vringh *vrh,
 			 void *dst, const void *src, size_t len))
 {
-	int err, count = 0, up_next, desc_max;
+	int err, count = 0, indirect_count = 0, up_next, desc_max;
 	struct vring_desc desc, *descs;
 	struct vringh_range range = { -1ULL, 0 }, slowrange;
 	bool slow = false;
@@ -331,7 +331,12 @@ __vringh_iov(struct vringh *vrh, u16 i,
 			continue;
 		}
 
-		if (count++ == vrh->vring.num) {
+		if (up_next == -1)
+			count++;
+		else
+			indirect_count++;
+
+		if (count > vrh->vring.num || indirect_count > desc_max) {
 			vringh_bad("Descriptor loop in %p", descs);
 			err = -ELOOP;
 			goto fail;
@@ -393,6 +398,7 @@ __vringh_iov(struct vringh *vrh, u16 i,
 				i = return_from_indirect(vrh, &up_next,
 							 &descs, &desc_max);
 				slow = false;
+				indirect_count = 0;
 			} else
 				break;
 		}