diff --git a/include/linux/user_namespace.h b/include/linux/user_namespace.h
index faf467944bafc0937ee7710b154e1ad91e07f847..dc2d85a76376cf5f2b69de01bc2d32be0900384d 100644
--- a/include/linux/user_namespace.h
+++ b/include/linux/user_namespace.h
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 struct user_namespace {
 	struct kref		kref;
 	struct hlist_head	uidhash_table[UIDHASH_SZ];
+	struct user_namespace	*parent;
 	struct user_struct	*creator;
 	struct work_struct	destroyer;
 };
diff --git a/kernel/user_namespace.c b/kernel/user_namespace.c
index 58bb8781a7784e40b660bb091a103bbd365c296c..c15e533d6bc54f5e4f90402c00accec94a828647 100644
--- a/kernel/user_namespace.c
+++ b/kernel/user_namespace.c
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ int create_user_ns(struct cred *new)
 	}
 
 	/* set the new root user in the credentials under preparation */
+	ns->parent = parent_ns;
 	ns->creator = new->user;
 	new->user = root_user;
 	new->uid = new->euid = new->suid = new->fsuid = 0;
@@ -60,8 +61,6 @@ int create_user_ns(struct cred *new)
 	/* Leave the reference to our user_ns with the new cred */
 	new->user_ns = ns;
 
-	put_user_ns(parent_ns);
-
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -72,10 +71,12 @@ int create_user_ns(struct cred *new)
  */
 static void free_user_ns_work(struct work_struct *work)
 {
-	struct user_namespace *ns =
+	struct user_namespace *parent, *ns =
 		container_of(work, struct user_namespace, destroyer);
+	parent = ns->parent;
 	free_uid(ns->creator);
 	kmem_cache_free(user_ns_cachep, ns);
+	put_user_ns(parent);
 }
 
 void free_user_ns(struct kref *kref)
@@ -99,8 +100,7 @@ uid_t user_ns_map_uid(struct user_namespace *to, const struct cred *cred, uid_t
 	/* Is cred->user the creator of the target user_ns
 	 * or the creator of one of it's parents?
 	 */
-	for ( tmp = to; tmp != &init_user_ns;
-	      tmp = tmp->creator->user_ns ) {
+	for ( tmp = to; tmp != &init_user_ns; tmp = tmp->parent ) {
 		if (cred->user == tmp->creator) {
 			return (uid_t)0;
 		}
@@ -120,8 +120,7 @@ gid_t user_ns_map_gid(struct user_namespace *to, const struct cred *cred, gid_t
 	/* Is cred->user the creator of the target user_ns
 	 * or the creator of one of it's parents?
 	 */
-	for ( tmp = to; tmp != &init_user_ns;
-	      tmp = tmp->creator->user_ns ) {
+	for ( tmp = to; tmp != &init_user_ns; tmp = tmp->parent ) {
 		if (cred->user == tmp->creator) {
 			return (gid_t)0;
 		}
diff --git a/security/commoncap.c b/security/commoncap.c
index 8b3e10e2eac7f9193f2c4950f2c27691bcd1c294..435d074853f3e07be59138676a759b9d28beda9b 100644
--- a/security/commoncap.c
+++ b/security/commoncap.c
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ int cap_capable(const struct cred *cred, struct user_namespace *targ_ns,
 		 *If you have a capability in a parent user ns, then you have
 		 * it over all children user namespaces as well.
 		 */
-		targ_ns = targ_ns->creator->user_ns;
+		targ_ns = targ_ns->parent;
 	}
 
 	/* We never get here */