diff --git a/drivers/cxl/core/memdev.c b/drivers/cxl/core/memdev.c
index 63353d990374..4c2e24a1a89c 100644
--- a/drivers/cxl/core/memdev.c
+++ b/drivers/cxl/core/memdev.c
@@ -556,20 +556,11 @@ void clear_exclusive_cxl_commands(struct cxl_memdev_state *mds,
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_NS_GPL(clear_exclusive_cxl_commands, CXL);
 
-static void cxl_memdev_security_shutdown(struct device *dev)
-{
-	struct cxl_memdev *cxlmd = to_cxl_memdev(dev);
-	struct cxl_memdev_state *mds = to_cxl_memdev_state(cxlmd->cxlds);
-
-	cancel_delayed_work_sync(&mds->security.poll_dwork);
-}
-
 static void cxl_memdev_shutdown(struct device *dev)
 {
 	struct cxl_memdev *cxlmd = to_cxl_memdev(dev);
 
 	down_write(&cxl_memdev_rwsem);
-	cxl_memdev_security_shutdown(dev);
 	cxlmd->cxlds = NULL;
 	up_write(&cxl_memdev_rwsem);
 }
@@ -991,35 +982,6 @@ static const struct file_operations cxl_memdev_fops = {
 	.llseek = noop_llseek,
 };
 
-static void put_sanitize(void *data)
-{
-	struct cxl_memdev_state *mds = data;
-
-	sysfs_put(mds->security.sanitize_node);
-}
-
-static int cxl_memdev_security_init(struct cxl_memdev *cxlmd)
-{
-	struct cxl_dev_state *cxlds = cxlmd->cxlds;
-	struct cxl_memdev_state *mds = to_cxl_memdev_state(cxlds);
-	struct device *dev = &cxlmd->dev;
-	struct kernfs_node *sec;
-
-	sec = sysfs_get_dirent(dev->kobj.sd, "security");
-	if (!sec) {
-		dev_err(dev, "sysfs_get_dirent 'security' failed\n");
-		return -ENODEV;
-	}
-	mds->security.sanitize_node = sysfs_get_dirent(sec, "state");
-	sysfs_put(sec);
-	if (!mds->security.sanitize_node) {
-		dev_err(dev, "sysfs_get_dirent 'state' failed\n");
-		return -ENODEV;
-	}
-
-	return devm_add_action_or_reset(cxlds->dev, put_sanitize, mds);
-}
-
 struct cxl_memdev *devm_cxl_add_memdev(struct device *host,
 				       struct cxl_dev_state *cxlds)
 {
@@ -1049,10 +1011,6 @@ struct cxl_memdev *devm_cxl_add_memdev(struct device *host,
 	if (rc)
 		goto err;
 
-	rc = cxl_memdev_security_init(cxlmd);
-	if (rc)
-		goto err;
-
 	rc = devm_add_action_or_reset(host, cxl_memdev_unregister, cxlmd);
 	if (rc)
 		return ERR_PTR(rc);
@@ -1069,6 +1027,50 @@ err:
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_NS_GPL(devm_cxl_add_memdev, CXL);
 
+static void sanitize_teardown_notifier(void *data)
+{
+	struct cxl_memdev_state *mds = data;
+	struct kernfs_node *state;
+
+	/*
+	 * Prevent new irq triggered invocations of the workqueue and
+	 * flush inflight invocations.
+	 */
+	mutex_lock(&mds->mbox_mutex);
+	state = mds->security.sanitize_node;
+	mds->security.sanitize_node = NULL;
+	mutex_unlock(&mds->mbox_mutex);
+
+	cancel_delayed_work_sync(&mds->security.poll_dwork);
+	sysfs_put(state);
+}
+
+int devm_cxl_sanitize_setup_notifier(struct device *host,
+				     struct cxl_memdev *cxlmd)
+{
+	struct cxl_dev_state *cxlds = cxlmd->cxlds;
+	struct cxl_memdev_state *mds = to_cxl_memdev_state(cxlds);
+	struct kernfs_node *sec;
+
+	if (!test_bit(CXL_SEC_ENABLED_SANITIZE, mds->security.enabled_cmds))
+		return 0;
+
+	/*
+	 * Note, the expectation is that @cxlmd would have failed to be
+	 * created if these sysfs_get_dirent calls fail.
+	 */
+	sec = sysfs_get_dirent(cxlmd->dev.kobj.sd, "security");
+	if (!sec)
+		return -ENOENT;
+	mds->security.sanitize_node = sysfs_get_dirent(sec, "state");
+	sysfs_put(sec);
+	if (!mds->security.sanitize_node)
+		return -ENOENT;
+
+	return devm_add_action_or_reset(host, sanitize_teardown_notifier, mds);
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_NS_GPL(devm_cxl_sanitize_setup_notifier, CXL);
+
 __init int cxl_memdev_init(void)
 {
 	dev_t devt;
diff --git a/drivers/cxl/cxlmem.h b/drivers/cxl/cxlmem.h
index fdb2c8dd98d0..fbdee1d63717 100644
--- a/drivers/cxl/cxlmem.h
+++ b/drivers/cxl/cxlmem.h
@@ -86,6 +86,8 @@ static inline bool is_cxl_endpoint(struct cxl_port *port)
 
 struct cxl_memdev *devm_cxl_add_memdev(struct device *host,
 				       struct cxl_dev_state *cxlds);
+int devm_cxl_sanitize_setup_notifier(struct device *host,
+				     struct cxl_memdev *cxlmd);
 struct cxl_memdev_state;
 int devm_cxl_setup_fw_upload(struct device *host, struct cxl_memdev_state *mds);
 int devm_cxl_dpa_reserve(struct cxl_endpoint_decoder *cxled,
diff --git a/drivers/cxl/pci.c b/drivers/cxl/pci.c
index 58894b8b59da..05f3d14921e6 100644
--- a/drivers/cxl/pci.c
+++ b/drivers/cxl/pci.c
@@ -875,6 +875,10 @@ static int cxl_pci_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev, const struct pci_device_id *id)
 	if (rc)
 		return rc;
 
+	rc = devm_cxl_sanitize_setup_notifier(&pdev->dev, cxlmd);
+	if (rc)
+		return rc;
+
 	pmu_count = cxl_count_regblock(pdev, CXL_REGLOC_RBI_PMU);
 	for (i = 0; i < pmu_count; i++) {
 		struct cxl_pmu_regs pmu_regs;