diff --git a/include/net/cfg80211.h b/include/net/cfg80211.h
index b61ac6e9de08c88cbae2f1110fd02d283c280238..7033c90850b0b02f69c0dfe883f3722c660fac57 100644
--- a/include/net/cfg80211.h
+++ b/include/net/cfg80211.h
@@ -835,6 +835,17 @@ struct cfg80211_bitrate_mask {
 	} control[NUM_NL80211_BANDS];
 };
 
+/**
+ * enum cfg80211_ap_settings_flags - AP settings flags
+ *
+ * Used by cfg80211_ap_settings
+ *
+ * @AP_SETTINGS_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT: AP supports external authentication
+ */
+enum cfg80211_ap_settings_flags {
+	AP_SETTINGS_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT = BIT(0),
+};
+
 /**
  * struct cfg80211_ap_settings - AP configuration
  *
@@ -865,6 +876,7 @@ struct cfg80211_bitrate_mask {
  * @he_cap: HE capabilities (or %NULL if HE isn't enabled)
  * @ht_required: stations must support HT
  * @vht_required: stations must support VHT
+ * @flags: flags, as defined in enum cfg80211_ap_settings_flags
  */
 struct cfg80211_ap_settings {
 	struct cfg80211_chan_def chandef;
@@ -890,6 +902,7 @@ struct cfg80211_ap_settings {
 	const struct ieee80211_vht_cap *vht_cap;
 	const struct ieee80211_he_cap_elem *he_cap;
 	bool ht_required, vht_required;
+	u32 flags;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -2831,6 +2844,7 @@ struct cfg80211_pmk_conf {
  *	use %WLAN_STATUS_UNSPECIFIED_FAILURE if user space cannot give you
  *	the real status code for failures. Used only for the authentication
  *	response command interface (user space to driver).
+ * @pmkid: The identifier to refer a PMKSA.
  */
 struct cfg80211_external_auth_params {
 	enum nl80211_external_auth_action action;
@@ -2838,6 +2852,7 @@ struct cfg80211_external_auth_params {
 	struct cfg80211_ssid ssid;
 	unsigned int key_mgmt_suite;
 	u16 status;
+	const u8 *pmkid;
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/nl80211.h b/include/uapi/linux/nl80211.h
index 5f9d5cd458a18cc93a7c5baca98d6cd9f96283e4..8b0fdb9e133b6b76b1d438d3f40e30ef9f0ba52a 100644
--- a/include/uapi/linux/nl80211.h
+++ b/include/uapi/linux/nl80211.h
@@ -2266,10 +2266,10 @@ enum nl80211_commands {
  *     &enum nl80211_external_auth_action value). This is used with the
  *     %NL80211_CMD_EXTERNAL_AUTH request event.
  * @NL80211_ATTR_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT: Flag attribute indicating that the user
- *     space supports external authentication. This attribute shall be used
- *     only with %NL80211_CMD_CONNECT request. The driver may offload
- *     authentication processing to user space if this capability is indicated
- *     in NL80211_CMD_CONNECT requests from the user space.
+ *	space supports external authentication. This attribute shall be used
+ *	with %NL80211_CMD_CONNECT and %NL80211_CMD_START_AP request. The driver
+ *	may offload authentication processing to user space if this capability
+ *	is indicated in the respective requests from the user space.
  *
  * @NL80211_ATTR_NSS: Station's New/updated  RX_NSS value notified using this
  *	u8 attribute. This is used with %NL80211_CMD_STA_OPMODE_CHANGED.
@@ -5631,9 +5631,14 @@ enum nl80211_crit_proto_id {
  * Used by cfg80211_rx_mgmt()
  *
  * @NL80211_RXMGMT_FLAG_ANSWERED: frame was answered by device/driver.
+ * @NL80211_RXMGMT_FLAG_EXTERNAL_AUTH: Host driver intends to offload
+ *	the authentication. Exclusively defined for host drivers that
+ *	advertises the SME functionality but would like the userspace
+ *	to handle certain authentication algorithms (e.g. SAE).
  */
 enum nl80211_rxmgmt_flags {
 	NL80211_RXMGMT_FLAG_ANSWERED = 1 << 0,
+	NL80211_RXMGMT_FLAG_EXTERNAL_AUTH = 1 << 1,
 };
 
 /*
diff --git a/net/wireless/nl80211.c b/net/wireless/nl80211.c
index eb4437fa05395462c827fa6a06e3a0652b6e74dc..dc96077afe5e73ccb296320bba46335905662a0d 100644
--- a/net/wireless/nl80211.c
+++ b/net/wireless/nl80211.c
@@ -4550,6 +4550,9 @@ static int nl80211_start_ap(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *info)
 
 	nl80211_calculate_ap_params(&params);
 
+	if (info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT])
+		params.flags |= AP_SETTINGS_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT;
+
 	wdev_lock(wdev);
 	err = rdev_start_ap(rdev, dev, &params);
 	if (!err) {
@@ -13086,7 +13089,9 @@ static int nl80211_external_auth(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *info)
 	if (!rdev->ops->external_auth)
 		return -EOPNOTSUPP;
 
-	if (!info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_SSID])
+	if (!info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_SSID] &&
+	    dev->ieee80211_ptr->iftype != NL80211_IFTYPE_AP &&
+	    dev->ieee80211_ptr->iftype != NL80211_IFTYPE_P2P_GO)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	if (!info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_BSSID])
@@ -13097,18 +13102,24 @@ static int nl80211_external_auth(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *info)
 
 	memset(&params, 0, sizeof(params));
 
-	params.ssid.ssid_len = nla_len(info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_SSID]);
-	if (params.ssid.ssid_len == 0 ||
-	    params.ssid.ssid_len > IEEE80211_MAX_SSID_LEN)
-		return -EINVAL;
-	memcpy(params.ssid.ssid, nla_data(info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_SSID]),
-	       params.ssid.ssid_len);
+	if (info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_SSID]) {
+		params.ssid.ssid_len = nla_len(info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_SSID]);
+		if (params.ssid.ssid_len == 0 ||
+		    params.ssid.ssid_len > IEEE80211_MAX_SSID_LEN)
+			return -EINVAL;
+		memcpy(params.ssid.ssid,
+		       nla_data(info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_SSID]),
+		       params.ssid.ssid_len);
+	}
 
 	memcpy(params.bssid, nla_data(info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_BSSID]),
 	       ETH_ALEN);
 
 	params.status = nla_get_u16(info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_STATUS_CODE]);
 
+	if (info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_PMKID])
+		params.pmkid = nla_data(info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_PMKID]);
+
 	return rdev_external_auth(rdev, dev, &params);
 }