diff --git a/fs/binfmt_misc.c b/fs/binfmt_misc.c
index e1eae7ea823a..3fd99a20694b 100644
--- a/fs/binfmt_misc.c
+++ b/fs/binfmt_misc.c
@@ -60,12 +60,11 @@ typedef struct {
 	char *name;
 	struct dentry *dentry;
 	struct file *interp_file;
+	refcount_t users;		/* sync removal with load_misc_binary() */
 } Node;
 
 static DEFINE_RWLOCK(entries_lock);
 static struct file_system_type bm_fs_type;
-static struct vfsmount *bm_mnt;
-static int entry_count;
 
 /*
  * Max length of the register string.  Determined by:
@@ -82,19 +81,22 @@ static int entry_count;
  */
 #define MAX_REGISTER_LENGTH 1920
 
-/*
- * Check if we support the binfmt
- * if we do, return the node, else NULL
- * locking is done in load_misc_binary
+/**
+ * search_binfmt_handler - search for a binary handler for @bprm
+ * @bprm: binary for which we are looking for a handler
+ *
+ * Search for a binary type handler for @bprm in the list of registered binary
+ * type handlers.
+ *
+ * Return: binary type list entry on success, NULL on failure
  */
-static Node *check_file(struct linux_binprm *bprm)
+static Node *search_binfmt_handler(struct linux_binprm *bprm)
 {
 	char *p = strrchr(bprm->interp, '.');
-	struct list_head *l;
+	Node *e;
 
 	/* Walk all the registered handlers. */
-	list_for_each(l, &entries) {
-		Node *e = list_entry(l, Node, list);
+	list_for_each_entry(e, &entries, list) {
 		char *s;
 		int j;
 
@@ -123,9 +125,48 @@ static Node *check_file(struct linux_binprm *bprm)
 		if (j == e->size)
 			return e;
 	}
+
 	return NULL;
 }
 
+/**
+ * get_binfmt_handler - try to find a binary type handler
+ * @bprm: binary for which we are looking for a handler
+ *
+ * Try to find a binfmt handler for the binary type. If one is found take a
+ * reference to protect against removal via bm_{entry,status}_write().
+ *
+ * Return: binary type list entry on success, NULL on failure
+ */
+static Node *get_binfmt_handler(struct linux_binprm *bprm)
+{
+	Node *e;
+
+	read_lock(&entries_lock);
+	e = search_binfmt_handler(bprm);
+	if (e)
+		refcount_inc(&e->users);
+	read_unlock(&entries_lock);
+	return e;
+}
+
+/**
+ * put_binfmt_handler - put binary handler node
+ * @e: node to put
+ *
+ * Free node syncing with load_misc_binary() and defer final free to
+ * load_misc_binary() in case it is using the binary type handler we were
+ * requested to remove.
+ */
+static void put_binfmt_handler(Node *e)
+{
+	if (refcount_dec_and_test(&e->users)) {
+		if (e->flags & MISC_FMT_OPEN_FILE)
+			filp_close(e->interp_file, NULL);
+		kfree(e);
+	}
+}
+
 /*
  * the loader itself
  */
@@ -139,12 +180,7 @@ static int load_misc_binary(struct linux_binprm *bprm)
 	if (!enabled)
 		return retval;
 
-	/* to keep locking time low, we copy the interpreter string */
-	read_lock(&entries_lock);
-	fmt = check_file(bprm);
-	if (fmt)
-		dget(fmt->dentry);
-	read_unlock(&entries_lock);
+	fmt = get_binfmt_handler(bprm);
 	if (!fmt)
 		return retval;
 
@@ -198,7 +234,16 @@ static int load_misc_binary(struct linux_binprm *bprm)
 
 	retval = 0;
 ret:
-	dput(fmt->dentry);
+
+	/*
+	 * If we actually put the node here all concurrent calls to
+	 * load_misc_binary() will have finished. We also know
+	 * that for the refcount to be zero ->evict_inode() must have removed
+	 * the node to be deleted from the list. All that is left for us is to
+	 * close and free.
+	 */
+	put_binfmt_handler(fmt);
+
 	return retval;
 }
 
@@ -553,30 +598,89 @@ static struct inode *bm_get_inode(struct super_block *sb, int mode)
 	return inode;
 }
 
+/**
+ * bm_evict_inode - cleanup data associated with @inode
+ * @inode: inode to which the data is attached
+ *
+ * Cleanup the binary type handler data associated with @inode if a binary type
+ * entry is removed or the filesystem is unmounted and the super block is
+ * shutdown.
+ *
+ * If the ->evict call was not caused by a super block shutdown but by a write
+ * to remove the entry or all entries via bm_{entry,status}_write() the entry
+ * will have already been removed from the list. We keep the list_empty() check
+ * to make that explicit.
+*/
 static void bm_evict_inode(struct inode *inode)
 {
 	Node *e = inode->i_private;
 
-	if (e && e->flags & MISC_FMT_OPEN_FILE)
-		filp_close(e->interp_file, NULL);
-
 	clear_inode(inode);
-	kfree(e);
+
+	if (e) {
+		write_lock(&entries_lock);
+		if (!list_empty(&e->list))
+			list_del_init(&e->list);
+		write_unlock(&entries_lock);
+		put_binfmt_handler(e);
+	}
 }
 
-static void kill_node(Node *e)
+/**
+ * unlink_binfmt_dentry - remove the dentry for the binary type handler
+ * @dentry: dentry associated with the binary type handler
+ *
+ * Do the actual filesystem work to remove a dentry for a registered binary
+ * type handler. Since binfmt_misc only allows simple files to be created
+ * directly under the root dentry of the filesystem we ensure that we are
+ * indeed passed a dentry directly beneath the root dentry, that the inode
+ * associated with the root dentry is locked, and that it is a regular file we
+ * are asked to remove.
+ */
+static void unlink_binfmt_dentry(struct dentry *dentry)
 {
-	struct dentry *dentry;
+	struct dentry *parent = dentry->d_parent;
+	struct inode *inode, *parent_inode;
+
+	/* All entries are immediate descendants of the root dentry. */
+	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(dentry->d_sb->s_root != parent))
+		return;
 
+	/* We only expect to be called on regular files. */
+	inode = d_inode(dentry);
+	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(!S_ISREG(inode->i_mode)))
+		return;
+
+	/* The parent inode must be locked. */
+	parent_inode = d_inode(parent);
+	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(!inode_is_locked(parent_inode)))
+		return;
+
+	if (simple_positive(dentry)) {
+		dget(dentry);
+		simple_unlink(parent_inode, dentry);
+		d_delete(dentry);
+		dput(dentry);
+	}
+}
+
+/**
+ * remove_binfmt_handler - remove a binary type handler
+ * @e: binary type handler to remove
+ *
+ * Remove a binary type handler from the list of binary type handlers and
+ * remove its associated dentry. This is called from
+ * binfmt_{entry,status}_write(). In the future, we might want to think about
+ * adding a proper ->unlink() method to binfmt_misc instead of forcing caller's
+ * to use writes to files in order to delete binary type handlers. But it has
+ * worked for so long that it's not a pressing issue.
+ */
+static void remove_binfmt_handler(Node *e)
+{
 	write_lock(&entries_lock);
 	list_del_init(&e->list);
 	write_unlock(&entries_lock);
-
-	dentry = e->dentry;
-	drop_nlink(d_inode(dentry));
-	d_drop(dentry);
-	dput(dentry);
-	simple_release_fs(&bm_mnt, &entry_count);
+	unlink_binfmt_dentry(e->dentry);
 }
 
 /* /<entry> */
@@ -603,8 +707,8 @@ bm_entry_read(struct file *file, char __user *buf, size_t nbytes, loff_t *ppos)
 static ssize_t bm_entry_write(struct file *file, const char __user *buffer,
 				size_t count, loff_t *ppos)
 {
-	struct dentry *root;
-	Node *e = file_inode(file)->i_private;
+	struct inode *inode = file_inode(file);
+	Node *e = inode->i_private;
 	int res = parse_command(buffer, count);
 
 	switch (res) {
@@ -618,13 +722,22 @@ static ssize_t bm_entry_write(struct file *file, const char __user *buffer,
 		break;
 	case 3:
 		/* Delete this handler. */
-		root = file_inode(file)->i_sb->s_root;
-		inode_lock(d_inode(root));
+		inode = d_inode(inode->i_sb->s_root);
+		inode_lock(inode);
 
+		/*
+		 * In order to add new element or remove elements from the list
+		 * via bm_{entry,register,status}_write() inode_lock() on the
+		 * root inode must be held.
+		 * The lock is exclusive ensuring that the list can't be
+		 * modified. Only load_misc_binary() can access but does so
+		 * read-only. So we only need to take the write lock when we
+		 * actually remove the entry from the list.
+		 */
 		if (!list_empty(&e->list))
-			kill_node(e);
+			remove_binfmt_handler(e);
 
-		inode_unlock(d_inode(root));
+		inode_unlock(inode);
 		break;
 	default:
 		return res;
@@ -683,13 +796,7 @@ static ssize_t bm_register_write(struct file *file, const char __user *buffer,
 	if (!inode)
 		goto out2;
 
-	err = simple_pin_fs(&bm_fs_type, &bm_mnt, &entry_count);
-	if (err) {
-		iput(inode);
-		inode = NULL;
-		goto out2;
-	}
-
+	refcount_set(&e->users, 1);
 	e->dentry = dget(dentry);
 	inode->i_private = e;
 	inode->i_fop = &bm_entry_operations;
@@ -733,7 +840,8 @@ static ssize_t bm_status_write(struct file *file, const char __user *buffer,
 		size_t count, loff_t *ppos)
 {
 	int res = parse_command(buffer, count);
-	struct dentry *root;
+	Node *e, *next;
+	struct inode *inode;
 
 	switch (res) {
 	case 1:
@@ -746,13 +854,22 @@ static ssize_t bm_status_write(struct file *file, const char __user *buffer,
 		break;
 	case 3:
 		/* Delete all handlers. */
-		root = file_inode(file)->i_sb->s_root;
-		inode_lock(d_inode(root));
+		inode = d_inode(file_inode(file)->i_sb->s_root);
+		inode_lock(inode);
 
-		while (!list_empty(&entries))
-			kill_node(list_first_entry(&entries, Node, list));
+		/*
+		 * In order to add new element or remove elements from the list
+		 * via bm_{entry,register,status}_write() inode_lock() on the
+		 * root inode must be held.
+		 * The lock is exclusive ensuring that the list can't be
+		 * modified. Only load_misc_binary() can access but does so
+		 * read-only. So we only need to take the write lock when we
+		 * actually remove the entry from the list.
+		 */
+		list_for_each_entry_safe(e, next, &entries, list)
+			remove_binfmt_handler(e);
 
-		inode_unlock(d_inode(root));
+		inode_unlock(inode);
 		break;
 	default:
 		return res;
