diff --git a/include/linux/netdevice.h b/include/linux/netdevice.h
index 5be20a7..6a26d2c 100644
--- a/include/linux/netdevice.h
+++ b/include/linux/netdevice.h
@@ -3338,7 +3338,7 @@ void netdev_state_change(struct net_device *dev);
 void netdev_notify_peers(struct net_device *dev);
 void netdev_features_change(struct net_device *dev);
 /* Load a device via the kmod */
-void dev_load(struct net *net, const char *name);
+int dev_load(struct net *net, const char *name);
 struct rtnl_link_stats64 *dev_get_stats(struct net_device *dev,
 					struct rtnl_link_stats64 *storage);
 void netdev_stats_to_stats64(struct rtnl_link_stats64 *stats64,
diff --git a/net/core/dev_ioctl.c b/net/core/dev_ioctl.c
index cf999e0..00a60f8 100644
--- a/net/core/dev_ioctl.c
+++ b/net/core/dev_ioctl.c
@@ -353,11 +353,14 @@ static int dev_ifsioc(struct net *net, struct ifreq *ifr, unsigned int cmd)
  *	available in this kernel then it becomes a nop.
  */
 
-void dev_load(struct net *net, const char *name)
+int dev_load(struct net *net, const char *name)
 {
 	struct net_device *dev;
 	int no_module;
 
+	if (!dev_valid_name(name))
+		return -EINVAL;
+
 	rcu_read_lock();
 	dev = dev_get_by_name_rcu(net, name);
 	rcu_read_unlock();
@@ -366,10 +369,14 @@ void dev_load(struct net *net, const char *name)
 	if (no_module && capable(CAP_NET_ADMIN))
 		no_module = request_module("netdev-%s", name);
 	if (no_module && capable(CAP_SYS_MODULE)) {
-		if (!request_module("%s", name))
+		int err = request_module("%s", name);
+		if (!err)
 			pr_warn("Loading kernel module for a network device with CAP_SYS_MODULE (deprecated).  Use CAP_NET_ADMIN and alias netdev-%s instead.\n",
 				name);
+		return err;
 	}
+
+	return no_module;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(dev_load);
 
@@ -438,7 +445,9 @@ int dev_ioctl(struct net *net, unsigned int cmd, void __user *arg)
 	case SIOCGIFMAP:
 	case SIOCGIFINDEX:
 	case SIOCGIFTXQLEN:
-		dev_load(net, ifr.ifr_name);
+		ret = dev_load(net, ifr.ifr_name);
+		if (ret)
+			return ret;
 		rcu_read_lock();
 		ret = dev_ifsioc_locked(net, &ifr, cmd);
 		rcu_read_unlock();
@@ -452,7 +461,9 @@ int dev_ioctl(struct net *net, unsigned int cmd, void __user *arg)
 		return ret;
 
 	case SIOCETHTOOL:
-		dev_load(net, ifr.ifr_name);
+		ret = dev_load(net, ifr.ifr_name);
+		if (ret)
+			return ret;
 		rtnl_lock();
 		ret = dev_ethtool(net, &ifr);
 		rtnl_unlock();
@@ -476,7 +487,9 @@ int dev_ioctl(struct net *net, unsigned int cmd, void __user *arg)
 	case SIOCSIFNAME:
 		if (!ns_capable(net->user_ns, CAP_NET_ADMIN))
 			return -EPERM;
-		dev_load(net, ifr.ifr_name);
+		ret = dev_load(net, ifr.ifr_name);
+		if (ret)
+			return ret;
 		rtnl_lock();
 		ret = dev_ifsioc(net, &ifr, cmd);
 		rtnl_unlock();
@@ -527,7 +540,9 @@ int dev_ioctl(struct net *net, unsigned int cmd, void __user *arg)
 		/* fall through */
 	case SIOCBONDSLAVEINFOQUERY:
 	case SIOCBONDINFOQUERY:
-		dev_load(net, ifr.ifr_name);
+		ret = dev_load(net, ifr.ifr_name);
+		if (ret)
+			return ret;
 		rtnl_lock();
 		ret = dev_ifsioc(net, &ifr, cmd);
 		rtnl_unlock();
@@ -550,7 +565,9 @@ int dev_ioctl(struct net *net, unsigned int cmd, void __user *arg)
 		    cmd == SIOCGHWTSTAMP ||
 		    (cmd >= SIOCDEVPRIVATE &&
 		     cmd <= SIOCDEVPRIVATE + 15)) {
-			dev_load(net, ifr.ifr_name);
+			ret = dev_load(net, ifr.ifr_name);
+			if (ret)
+				return ret;
 			rtnl_lock();
 			ret = dev_ifsioc(net, &ifr, cmd);
 			rtnl_unlock();
diff --git a/net/decnet/dn_dev.c b/net/decnet/dn_dev.c
index 4400da7..484a5de 100644
--- a/net/decnet/dn_dev.c
+++ b/net/decnet/dn_dev.c
@@ -424,7 +424,9 @@ int dn_dev_ioctl(unsigned int cmd, void __user *arg)
 		return -EFAULT;
 	ifr->ifr_name[IFNAMSIZ-1] = 0;
 
-	dev_load(&init_net, ifr->ifr_name);
+	ret = dev_load(&init_net, ifr->ifr_name);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
 
 	switch (cmd) {
 	case SIOCGIFADDR:
diff --git a/net/ieee802154/af_ieee802154.c b/net/ieee802154/af_ieee802154.c
index 29e0de6..6c525a8 100644
--- a/net/ieee802154/af_ieee802154.c
+++ b/net/ieee802154/af_ieee802154.c
@@ -148,7 +148,9 @@ static int ieee802154_dev_ioctl(struct sock *sk, struct ifreq __user *arg,
 
 	ifr.ifr_name[IFNAMSIZ-1] = 0;
 
-	dev_load(sock_net(sk), ifr.ifr_name);
+	ret = dev_load(sock_net(sk), ifr.ifr_name);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
 	dev = dev_get_by_name(sock_net(sk), ifr.ifr_name);
 
 	if (!dev)
diff --git a/net/ipv4/devinet.c b/net/ipv4/devinet.c
index 214882e..ec48f1e 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/devinet.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/devinet.c
@@ -909,7 +909,9 @@ int devinet_ioctl(struct net *net, unsigned int cmd, void __user *arg)
 	if (colon)
 		*colon = 0;
 
-	dev_load(net, ifr.ifr_name);
+	ret = dev_load(net, ifr.ifr_name);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
 
 	switch (cmd) {
 	case SIOCGIFADDR:	/* Get interface address */
diff --git a/net/wireless/wext-core.c b/net/wireless/wext-core.c
index c8717c1..8fea5fe 100644
--- a/net/wireless/wext-core.c
+++ b/net/wireless/wext-core.c
@@ -954,7 +954,9 @@ static int wext_ioctl_dispatch(struct net *net, struct ifreq *ifr,
 	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
-	dev_load(net, ifr->ifr_name);
+	ret = dev_load(net, ifr->ifr_name);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
 	rtnl_lock();
 	ret = wireless_process_ioctl(net, ifr, cmd, info, standard, private);
 	rtnl_unlock();