diff --git a/src/core/device.c b/src/core/device.c
index 6d662872ccb..5d08697accf 100644
--- a/src/core/device.c
+++ b/src/core/device.c
@@ -946,45 +946,26 @@ static int device_dispatch_io(sd_device_monitor *monitor, sd_device *dev, void *
         return 0;
 }
 
-static int validate_node(Manager *m, const char *node, sd_device **ret) {
-        struct stat st;
+static int validate_node(const char *node, sd_device **ret) {
+        _cleanup_(sd_device_unrefp) sd_device *dev = NULL;
         int r;
 
-        assert(m);
         assert(node);
         assert(ret);
 
         /* Validates a device node that showed up in /proc/swaps or /proc/self/mountinfo if it makes sense for us to
          * track. Note that this validator is fine within missing device nodes, but not with badly set up ones! */
 
-        if (!path_startswith(node, "/dev")) {
+        r = sd_device_new_from_devname(&dev, node);
+        if (r == -ENODEV) {
                 *ret = NULL;
-                return 0; /* bad! */
+                return 0; /* good! (though missing) */
         }
+        if (r < 0)
+                return r; /* bad! */
 
-        if (stat(node, &st) < 0) {
-                if (errno != ENOENT)
-                        return log_error_errno(errno, "Failed to stat() device node file %s: %m", node);
-
-                *ret = NULL;
-                return 1; /* good! (though missing) */
-
-        } else {
-                _cleanup_(sd_device_unrefp) sd_device *dev = NULL;
-
-                r = sd_device_new_from_stat_rdev(&dev, &st);
-                if (r == -ENOENT) {
-                        *ret = NULL;
-                        return 1; /* good! (though missing) */
-                } else if (r == -ENOTTY) {
-                        *ret = NULL;
-                        return 0; /* bad! (not a device node but some other kind of file system node) */
-                } else if (r < 0)
-                        return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to get udev device from devnum %u:%u: %m", major(st.st_rdev), minor(st.st_rdev));
-
-                *ret = TAKE_PTR(dev);
-                return 1; /* good! */
-        }
+        *ret = TAKE_PTR(dev);
+        return 1; /* good! */
 }
 
 void device_found_node(Manager *m, const char *node, DeviceFound found, DeviceFound mask) {
@@ -1012,10 +993,10 @@ void device_found_node(Manager *m, const char *node, DeviceFound found, DeviceFo
                  * under the name referenced in /proc/swaps or /proc/self/mountinfo. But first, let's validate if
                  * everything is alright with the device node. */
 
-                if (validate_node(m, node, &dev) <= 0)
+                if (validate_node(node, &dev) < 0)
                         return; /* Don't create a device unit for this if the device node is borked. */
 
-                (void) device_setup_unit(m, dev, node, false);
+                (void) device_setup_unit(m, dev, node, false); /* 'dev' may be NULL. */
         }
 
         /* Update the device unit's state, should it exist */