diff --git a/crypto/api.c b/crypto/api.c
index 64f2d365a8e9..c58774586d9f 100644
--- a/crypto/api.c
+++ b/crypto/api.c
@@ -409,6 +409,7 @@ struct crypto_tfm *__crypto_alloc_tfm(struct crypto_alg *alg, u32 type,
 		goto out_err;
 
 	tfm->__crt_alg = alg;
+	refcount_set(&tfm->refcnt, 1);
 
 	err = crypto_init_ops(tfm, type, mask);
 	if (err)
@@ -508,6 +509,7 @@ void *crypto_create_tfm_node(struct crypto_alg *alg,
 	tfm = (struct crypto_tfm *)(mem + tfmsize);
 	tfm->__crt_alg = alg;
 	tfm->node = node;
+	refcount_set(&tfm->refcnt, 1);
 
 	err = frontend->init_tfm(tfm);
 	if (err)
@@ -620,6 +622,8 @@ void crypto_destroy_tfm(void *mem, struct crypto_tfm *tfm)
 	if (IS_ERR_OR_NULL(mem))
 		return;
 
+	if (!refcount_dec_and_test(&tfm->refcnt))
+		return;
 	alg = tfm->__crt_alg;
 
 	if (!tfm->exit && alg->cra_exit)
diff --git a/crypto/internal.h b/crypto/internal.h
index c08385571853..521bc021c54b 100644
--- a/crypto/internal.h
+++ b/crypto/internal.h
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 
 #include <crypto/algapi.h>
 #include <linux/completion.h>
+#include <linux/err.h>
 #include <linux/jump_label.h>
 #include <linux/list.h>
 #include <linux/module.h>
@@ -166,5 +167,10 @@ static inline int crypto_is_test_larval(struct crypto_larval *larval)
 	return larval->alg.cra_driver_name[0];
 }
 
+static inline struct crypto_tfm *crypto_tfm_get(struct crypto_tfm *tfm)
+{
+	return refcount_inc_not_zero(&tfm->refcnt) ? tfm : ERR_PTR(-EOVERFLOW);
+}
+
 #endif	/* _CRYPTO_INTERNAL_H */
 
diff --git a/include/linux/crypto.h b/include/linux/crypto.h
index e3c4be29aacc..d354a2a7ac5f 100644
--- a/include/linux/crypto.h
+++ b/include/linux/crypto.h
@@ -642,6 +642,7 @@ int crypto_has_alg(const char *name, u32 type, u32 mask);
  */
 
 struct crypto_tfm {
+	refcount_t refcnt;
 
 	u32 crt_flags;