diff --git a/tools/perf/util/machine.c b/tools/perf/util/machine.c
index e45c8f33a8fd2776d4acbb3565534a6bb0716c4b..9c380a2caa541c1a1816974618d8e645c9be9288 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/machine.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/machine.c
@@ -679,6 +679,9 @@ int __machine__create_kernel_maps(struct machine *machine, struct dso *kernel)
 			machine->vmlinux_maps[type]->unmap_ip =
 				identity__map_ip;
 		kmap = map__kmap(machine->vmlinux_maps[type]);
+		if (!kmap)
+			return -1;
+
 		kmap->kmaps = &machine->kmaps;
 		map_groups__insert(&machine->kmaps,
 				   machine->vmlinux_maps[type]);
@@ -700,7 +703,7 @@ void machine__destroy_kernel_maps(struct machine *machine)
 		kmap = map__kmap(machine->vmlinux_maps[type]);
 		map_groups__remove(&machine->kmaps,
 				   machine->vmlinux_maps[type]);
-		if (kmap->ref_reloc_sym) {
+		if (kmap && kmap->ref_reloc_sym) {
 			/*
 			 * ref_reloc_sym is shared among all maps, so free just
 			 * on one of them.
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/map.c b/tools/perf/util/map.c
index 62ca9f2607d557804a0bc260e74a5e5c5dbc32e1..a14f08f416863944527412b82a6b3cfaeda3c603 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/map.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/map.c
@@ -778,3 +778,23 @@ struct map *maps__next(struct map *map)
 		return rb_entry(next, struct map, rb_node);
 	return NULL;
 }
+
+struct kmap *map__kmap(struct map *map)
+{
+	if (!map->dso || !map->dso->kernel) {
+		pr_err("Internal error: map__kmap with a non-kernel map\n");
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	return (struct kmap *)(map + 1);
+}
+
+struct map_groups *map__kmaps(struct map *map)
+{
+	struct kmap *kmap = map__kmap(map);
+
+	if (!kmap || !kmap->kmaps) {
+		pr_err("Internal error: map__kmaps with a non-kernel map\n");
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	return kmap->kmaps;
+}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/map.h b/tools/perf/util/map.h
index 0e42438b1e593c0e6369186d84cc1ccad76a0093..ec19c59ca38e07deba4a8c2c254ec3a4c71c6c91 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/map.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/map.h
@@ -76,10 +76,8 @@ static inline struct map_groups *map_groups__get(struct map_groups *mg)
 
 void map_groups__put(struct map_groups *mg);
 
-static inline struct kmap *map__kmap(struct map *map)
-{
-	return (struct kmap *)(map + 1);
-}
+struct kmap *map__kmap(struct map *map);
+struct map_groups *map__kmaps(struct map *map);
 
 static inline u64 map__map_ip(struct map *map, u64 ip)
 {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c b/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c
index 8feac0774c41d97ec61a8a54a55afa08a84cee5a..4fd49f0210733a86992400dd004197cebf01bb61 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c
@@ -135,6 +135,8 @@ static struct ref_reloc_sym *kernel_get_ref_reloc_sym(void)
 		return NULL;
 
 	kmap = map__kmap(host_machine->vmlinux_maps[MAP__FUNCTION]);
+	if (!kmap)
+		return NULL;
 	return kmap->ref_reloc_sym;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.c b/tools/perf/util/session.c
index dfacf1d50162ce6b816649a58fa4f809e58bdf27..0c74012575ac925648c3f2eb350d7fb95bd154ce 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/session.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/session.c
@@ -1466,6 +1466,9 @@ int maps__set_kallsyms_ref_reloc_sym(struct map **maps,
 
 	for (i = 0; i < MAP__NR_TYPES; ++i) {
 		struct kmap *kmap = map__kmap(maps[i]);
+
+		if (!kmap)
+			continue;
 		kmap->ref_reloc_sym = ref;
 	}
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/symbol-elf.c b/tools/perf/util/symbol-elf.c
index 476268c994312d21a3d16269ed1ff62992a0d345..a7ab6063e0389488a420680db46b96743366c1c2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/symbol-elf.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/symbol-elf.c
@@ -776,6 +776,7 @@ int dso__load_sym(struct dso *dso, struct map *map,
 		  symbol_filter_t filter, int kmodule)
 {
 	struct kmap *kmap = dso->kernel ? map__kmap(map) : NULL;
+	struct map_groups *kmaps = kmap ? map__kmaps(map) : NULL;
 	struct map *curr_map = map;
 	struct dso *curr_dso = dso;
 	Elf_Data *symstrs, *secstrs;
@@ -791,6 +792,9 @@ int dso__load_sym(struct dso *dso, struct map *map,
 	int nr = 0;
 	bool remap_kernel = false, adjust_kernel_syms = false;
 
+	if (kmap && !kmaps)
+		return -1;
+
 	dso->symtab_type = syms_ss->type;
 	dso->is_64_bit = syms_ss->is_64_bit;
 	dso->rel = syms_ss->ehdr.e_type == ET_REL;
@@ -958,8 +962,10 @@ int dso__load_sym(struct dso *dso, struct map *map,
 					map->map_ip = map__map_ip;
 					map->unmap_ip = map__unmap_ip;
 					/* Ensure maps are correctly ordered */
-					map_groups__remove(kmap->kmaps, map);
-					map_groups__insert(kmap->kmaps, map);
+					if (kmaps) {
+						map_groups__remove(kmaps, map);
+						map_groups__insert(kmaps, map);
+					}
 				}
 
 				/*
@@ -983,7 +989,7 @@ int dso__load_sym(struct dso *dso, struct map *map,
 			snprintf(dso_name, sizeof(dso_name),
 				 "%s%s", dso->short_name, section_name);
 
-			curr_map = map_groups__find_by_name(kmap->kmaps, map->type, dso_name);
+			curr_map = map_groups__find_by_name(kmaps, map->type, dso_name);
 			if (curr_map == NULL) {
 				u64 start = sym.st_value;
 
@@ -1013,7 +1019,7 @@ int dso__load_sym(struct dso *dso, struct map *map,
 					curr_map->unmap_ip = identity__map_ip;
 				}
 				curr_dso->symtab_type = dso->symtab_type;
-				map_groups__insert(kmap->kmaps, curr_map);
+				map_groups__insert(kmaps, curr_map);
 				/*
 				 * The new DSO should go to the kernel DSOS
 				 */
@@ -1075,7 +1081,7 @@ int dso__load_sym(struct dso *dso, struct map *map,
 			 * We need to fixup this here too because we create new
 			 * maps here, for things like vsyscall sections.
 			 */
-			__map_groups__fixup_end(kmap->kmaps, map->type);
+			__map_groups__fixup_end(kmaps, map->type);
 		}
 	}
 	err = nr;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/symbol.c b/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
index fddeb9073039388a4694bafe6c0eaf464385b558..201f6c4ca738ddffb46d5270a876cf96e8da9322 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
@@ -630,13 +630,16 @@ static int dso__load_all_kallsyms(struct dso *dso, const char *filename,
 static int dso__split_kallsyms_for_kcore(struct dso *dso, struct map *map,
 					 symbol_filter_t filter)
 {
-	struct map_groups *kmaps = map__kmap(map)->kmaps;
+	struct map_groups *kmaps = map__kmaps(map);
 	struct map *curr_map;
 	struct symbol *pos;
 	int count = 0, moved = 0;
 	struct rb_root *root = &dso->symbols[map->type];
 	struct rb_node *next = rb_first(root);
 
+	if (!kmaps)
+		return -1;
+
 	while (next) {
 		char *module;
 
@@ -682,8 +685,8 @@ static int dso__split_kallsyms_for_kcore(struct dso *dso, struct map *map,
 static int dso__split_kallsyms(struct dso *dso, struct map *map, u64 delta,
 			       symbol_filter_t filter)
 {
-	struct map_groups *kmaps = map__kmap(map)->kmaps;
-	struct machine *machine = kmaps->machine;
+	struct map_groups *kmaps = map__kmaps(map);
+	struct machine *machine;
 	struct map *curr_map = map;
 	struct symbol *pos;
 	int count = 0, moved = 0;
@@ -691,6 +694,11 @@ static int dso__split_kallsyms(struct dso *dso, struct map *map, u64 delta,
 	struct rb_node *next = rb_first(root);
 	int kernel_range = 0;
 
+	if (!kmaps)
+		return -1;
+
+	machine = kmaps->machine;
+
 	while (next) {
 		char *module;
 
@@ -1025,9 +1033,12 @@ static bool filename_from_kallsyms_filename(char *filename,
 static int validate_kcore_modules(const char *kallsyms_filename,
 				  struct map *map)
 {
-	struct map_groups *kmaps = map__kmap(map)->kmaps;
+	struct map_groups *kmaps = map__kmaps(map);
 	char modules_filename[PATH_MAX];
 
+	if (!kmaps)
+		return -EINVAL;
+
 	if (!filename_from_kallsyms_filename(modules_filename, "modules",
 					     kallsyms_filename))
 		return -EINVAL;
@@ -1043,6 +1054,9 @@ static int validate_kcore_addresses(const char *kallsyms_filename,
 {
 	struct kmap *kmap = map__kmap(map);
 
+	if (!kmap)
+		return -EINVAL;
+
 	if (kmap->ref_reloc_sym && kmap->ref_reloc_sym->name) {
 		u64 start;
 
@@ -1081,8 +1095,8 @@ static int kcore_mapfn(u64 start, u64 len, u64 pgoff, void *data)
 static int dso__load_kcore(struct dso *dso, struct map *map,
 			   const char *kallsyms_filename)
 {
-	struct map_groups *kmaps = map__kmap(map)->kmaps;
-	struct machine *machine = kmaps->machine;
+	struct map_groups *kmaps = map__kmaps(map);
+	struct machine *machine;
 	struct kcore_mapfn_data md;
 	struct map *old_map, *new_map, *replacement_map = NULL;
 	bool is_64_bit;
@@ -1090,6 +1104,11 @@ static int dso__load_kcore(struct dso *dso, struct map *map,
 	char kcore_filename[PATH_MAX];
 	struct symbol *sym;
 
+	if (!kmaps)
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	machine = kmaps->machine;
+
 	/* This function requires that the map is the kernel map */
 	if (map != machine->vmlinux_maps[map->type])
 		return -EINVAL;
@@ -1202,6 +1221,9 @@ static int kallsyms__delta(struct map *map, const char *filename, u64 *delta)
 	struct kmap *kmap = map__kmap(map);
 	u64 addr;
 
+	if (!kmap)
+		return -1;
+
 	if (!kmap->ref_reloc_sym || !kmap->ref_reloc_sym->name)
 		return 0;