diff --git a/net/mac80211/ieee80211_ioctl.c b/net/mac80211/ieee80211_ioctl.c
index 1d585cc2c8c7..10ec05624a67 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/ieee80211_ioctl.c
+++ b/net/mac80211/ieee80211_ioctl.c
@@ -73,11 +73,8 @@ static int ieee80211_set_encryption(struct net_device *dev, u8 *sta_addr,
 		key = NULL;
 	} else {
 		/*
-		 * Need to free it before allocating a new one with
-		 * with the same index or the ordering to the driver's
-		 * set_key() callback becomes confused.
+		 * Automatically frees any old key if present.
 		 */
-		ieee80211_key_free(key);
 		key = ieee80211_key_alloc(sdata, sta, alg, idx, key_len, _key);
 		if (!key) {
 			ret = -ENOMEM;
diff --git a/net/mac80211/key.c b/net/mac80211/key.c
index 178f00cf61b9..19e77f626d84 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/key.c
+++ b/net/mac80211/key.c
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #include <linux/if_ether.h>
 #include <linux/etherdevice.h>
 #include <linux/list.h>
+#include <linux/rcupdate.h>
 #include <net/mac80211.h>
 #include "ieee80211_i.h"
 #include "debugfs_key.h"
@@ -120,6 +121,7 @@ struct ieee80211_key *ieee80211_key_alloc(struct ieee80211_sub_if_data *sdata,
 {
 	struct ieee80211_key *key;
 
+	BUG_ON(idx < 0 || idx >= NUM_DEFAULT_KEYS);
 	BUG_ON(alg == ALG_NONE);
 
 	key = kzalloc(sizeof(struct ieee80211_key) + key_len, GFP_KERNEL);
@@ -157,9 +159,15 @@ struct ieee80211_key *ieee80211_key_alloc(struct ieee80211_sub_if_data *sdata,
 
 	ieee80211_debugfs_key_add(key->local, key);
 
+	/* remove key first */
+	if (sta)
+		ieee80211_key_free(sta->key);
+	else
+		ieee80211_key_free(sdata->keys[idx]);
+
 	if (sta) {
 		ieee80211_debugfs_key_sta_link(key, sta);
-		sta->key = key;
+
 		/*
 		 * some hardware cannot handle TKIP with QoS, so
 		 * we indicate whether QoS could be in use.
@@ -179,21 +187,19 @@ struct ieee80211_key *ieee80211_key_alloc(struct ieee80211_sub_if_data *sdata,
 				sta_info_put(ap);
 			}
 		}
-
-		if (idx >= 0 && idx < NUM_DEFAULT_KEYS) {
-			if (!sdata->keys[idx])
-				sdata->keys[idx] = key;
-			else
-				WARN_ON(1);
-		} else
-			WARN_ON(1);
 	}
 
-	list_add(&key->list, &sdata->key_list);
-
+	/* enable hwaccel if appropriate */
 	if (netif_running(key->sdata->dev))
 		ieee80211_key_enable_hw_accel(key);
 
+	if (sta)
+		rcu_assign_pointer(sta->key, key);
+	else
+		rcu_assign_pointer(sdata->keys[idx], key);
+
+	list_add(&key->list, &sdata->key_list);
+
 	return key;
 }
 
@@ -202,20 +208,25 @@ void ieee80211_key_free(struct ieee80211_key *key)
 	if (!key)
 		return;
 
-	ieee80211_key_disable_hw_accel(key);
-
 	if (key->sta) {
-		key->sta->key = NULL;
+		rcu_assign_pointer(key->sta->key, NULL);
 	} else {
 		if (key->sdata->default_key == key)
 			ieee80211_set_default_key(key->sdata, -1);
 		if (key->conf.keyidx >= 0 &&
 		    key->conf.keyidx < NUM_DEFAULT_KEYS)
-			key->sdata->keys[key->conf.keyidx] = NULL;
+			rcu_assign_pointer(key->sdata->keys[key->conf.keyidx],
+					   NULL);
 		else
 			WARN_ON(1);
 	}
 
+	/* wait for all key users to complete */
+	synchronize_rcu();
+
+	/* remove from hwaccel if appropriate */
+	ieee80211_key_disable_hw_accel(key);
+
 	if (key->conf.alg == ALG_CCMP)
 		ieee80211_aes_key_free(key->u.ccmp.tfm);
 	ieee80211_debugfs_key_remove(key);
@@ -235,7 +246,7 @@ void ieee80211_set_default_key(struct ieee80211_sub_if_data *sdata, int idx)
 	if (sdata->default_key != key) {
 		ieee80211_debugfs_key_remove_default(sdata);
 
-		sdata->default_key = key;
+		rcu_assign_pointer(sdata->default_key, key);
 
 		if (sdata->default_key)
 			ieee80211_debugfs_key_add_default(sdata);
diff --git a/net/mac80211/rx.c b/net/mac80211/rx.c
index 4fb8c7026f11..91b7886bf797 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/rx.c
+++ b/net/mac80211/rx.c
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 #include <linux/skbuff.h>
 #include <linux/netdevice.h>
 #include <linux/etherdevice.h>
+#include <linux/rcupdate.h>
 #include <net/mac80211.h>
 #include <net/ieee80211_radiotap.h>
 
@@ -311,6 +312,7 @@ ieee80211_rx_h_load_key(struct ieee80211_txrx_data *rx)
 	struct ieee80211_hdr *hdr = (struct ieee80211_hdr *) rx->skb->data;
 	int keyidx;
 	int hdrlen;
+	struct ieee80211_key *stakey = NULL;
 
 	/*
 	 * Key selection 101
@@ -348,8 +350,11 @@ ieee80211_rx_h_load_key(struct ieee80211_txrx_data *rx)
 	if (!(rx->flags & IEEE80211_TXRXD_RXRA_MATCH))
 		return TXRX_CONTINUE;
 
-	if (!is_multicast_ether_addr(hdr->addr1) && rx->sta && rx->sta->key) {
-		rx->key = rx->sta->key;
+	if (rx->sta)
+		stakey = rcu_dereference(rx->sta->key);
+
+	if (!is_multicast_ether_addr(hdr->addr1) && stakey) {
+		rx->key = stakey;
 	} else {
 		/*
 		 * The device doesn't give us the IV so we won't be
@@ -374,7 +379,7 @@ ieee80211_rx_h_load_key(struct ieee80211_txrx_data *rx)
 		 */
 		keyidx = rx->skb->data[hdrlen + 3] >> 6;
 
-		rx->key = rx->sdata->keys[keyidx];
+		rx->key = rcu_dereference(rx->sdata->keys[keyidx]);
 
 		/*
 		 * RSNA-protected unicast frames should always be sent with
@@ -1364,6 +1369,12 @@ void __ieee80211_rx(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, struct sk_buff *skb,
 		skb_pull(skb, radiotap_len);
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * key references are protected using RCU and this requires that
+	 * we are in a read-site RCU section during receive processing
+	 */
+	rcu_read_lock();
+
 	hdr = (struct ieee80211_hdr *) skb->data;
 	memset(&rx, 0, sizeof(rx));
 	rx.skb = skb;
@@ -1404,6 +1415,7 @@ void __ieee80211_rx(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, struct sk_buff *skb,
 		ieee80211_invoke_rx_handlers(local, local->rx_handlers, &rx,
 					     rx.sta);
 		sta_info_put(sta);
+		rcu_read_unlock();
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -1465,6 +1477,8 @@ void __ieee80211_rx(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, struct sk_buff *skb,
 	read_unlock(&local->sub_if_lock);
 
  end:
+	rcu_read_unlock();
+
 	if (sta)
 		sta_info_put(sta);
 }
diff --git a/net/mac80211/tx.c b/net/mac80211/tx.c
index 0820f127da2b..b29dc70b2f01 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/tx.c
+++ b/net/mac80211/tx.c
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include <linux/skbuff.h>
 #include <linux/etherdevice.h>
 #include <linux/bitmap.h>
+#include <linux/rcupdate.h>
 #include <net/net_namespace.h>
 #include <net/ieee80211_radiotap.h>
 #include <net/cfg80211.h>
@@ -427,14 +428,16 @@ ieee80211_tx_h_ps_buf(struct ieee80211_txrx_data *tx)
 static ieee80211_txrx_result
 ieee80211_tx_h_select_key(struct ieee80211_txrx_data *tx)
 {
+	struct ieee80211_key *key;
+
 	tx->u.tx.control->key_idx = HW_KEY_IDX_INVALID;
 
 	if (unlikely(tx->u.tx.control->flags & IEEE80211_TXCTL_DO_NOT_ENCRYPT))
 		tx->key = NULL;
-	else if (tx->sta && tx->sta->key)
-		tx->key = tx->sta->key;
-	else if (tx->sdata->default_key)
-		tx->key = tx->sdata->default_key;
+	else if (tx->sta && (key = rcu_dereference(tx->sta->key)))
+		tx->key = key;
+	else if ((key = rcu_dereference(tx->sdata->default_key)))
+		tx->key = key;
 	else if (tx->sdata->drop_unencrypted &&
 		 !(tx->sdata->eapol && ieee80211_is_eapol(tx->skb))) {
 		I802_DEBUG_INC(tx->local->tx_handlers_drop_unencrypted);
@@ -1112,6 +1115,12 @@ static int ieee80211_tx(struct net_device *dev, struct sk_buff *skb,
 		return 0;
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * key references are protected using RCU and this requires that
+	 * we are in a read-site RCU section during receive processing
+	 */
+	rcu_read_lock();
+
 	sta = tx.sta;
 	tx.u.tx.mgmt_interface = mgmt;
 	tx.u.tx.mode = local->hw.conf.mode;
@@ -1139,6 +1148,7 @@ static int ieee80211_tx(struct net_device *dev, struct sk_buff *skb,
 
 	if (unlikely(res == TXRX_QUEUED)) {
 		I802_DEBUG_INC(local->tx_handlers_queued);
+		rcu_read_unlock();
 		return 0;
 	}
 
@@ -1196,6 +1206,7 @@ retry:
 		store->last_frag_rate_ctrl_probe =
 			!!(tx.flags & IEEE80211_TXRXD_TXPROBE_LAST_FRAG);
 	}
+	rcu_read_unlock();
 	return 0;
 
  drop:
@@ -1205,6 +1216,7 @@ retry:
 		if (tx.u.tx.extra_frag[i])
 			dev_kfree_skb(tx.u.tx.extra_frag[i]);
 	kfree(tx.u.tx.extra_frag);
+	rcu_read_unlock();
 	return 0;
 }