diff --git a/include/net/bluetooth/l2cap.h b/include/net/bluetooth/l2cap.h
index ef6ce1c20a4f..3d9a32094347 100644
--- a/include/net/bluetooth/l2cap.h
+++ b/include/net/bluetooth/l2cap.h
@@ -699,7 +699,12 @@ struct l2cap_rx_busy {
 
 struct l2cap_pinfo {
 	struct bt_sock		bt;
+
+	/* With owning sk_socket chan may be read without lock, other access
+	 * should hold lock_sock.
+	 */
 	struct l2cap_chan	*chan;
+
 	struct list_head	rx_busy;
 };
 
diff --git a/net/bluetooth/l2cap_sock.c b/net/bluetooth/l2cap_sock.c
index 735167f73f31..9540617a0e6c 100644
--- a/net/bluetooth/l2cap_sock.c
+++ b/net/bluetooth/l2cap_sock.c
@@ -1312,7 +1312,12 @@ static void l2cap_sock_kill(struct sock *sk)
 
 	BT_DBG("sk %p state %s", sk, state_to_string(sk->sk_state));
 
+	/* Take lock to synchronize against access without owning sk->sk_socket,
+	 * eg. in l2cap_sock_cleanup_listen(). proto_ops etc. don't need lock.
+	 */
+	lock_sock(sk);
 	l2cap_sock_put_chan(sk);
+	release_sock(sk);
 
 	/* Kill poor orphan */
 	sock_set_flag(sk, SOCK_DEAD);
@@ -1516,14 +1521,10 @@ static void l2cap_sock_cleanup_listen(struct sock *parent)
 	 * establish sk_lock -> conn->lock and invert the established
 	 * conn->lock -> chan->lock -> sk_lock order (lockdep deadlock).
 	 *
-	 * Instead, briefly take the child sk lock to fetch and pin its chan.
-	 * l2cap_conn_del() reaches the chan free only via
-	 * l2cap_chan_del() -> l2cap_sock_teardown_cb(), which itself takes
-	 * the child sk lock; holding it across l2cap_chan_hold_unless_zero()
-	 * therefore guarantees the chan cannot be freed while we read and
-	 * pin it (hold_unless_zero() additionally skips a chan already past
-	 * its last reference).  We then drop the sk lock before taking
-	 * chan->lock, so sk and chan locks are never held together.
+	 * Instead, briefly take the child sk lock to synchronize vs.
+	 * l2cap_sock_kill that puts l2cap_pi(sk)->chan. We then drop the sk
+	 * lock before taking chan->lock, so sk and chan locks are never held
+	 * together.
 	 *
 	 * Since we cannot call l2cap_chan_close() without conn->lock,
 	 * schedule l2cap_chan_timeout to close the channel; it already
@@ -1533,10 +1534,12 @@ static void l2cap_sock_cleanup_listen(struct sock *parent)
 		struct l2cap_chan *chan;
 
 		lock_sock_nested(sk, L2CAP_NESTING_NORMAL);
-		chan = l2cap_chan_hold_unless_zero(l2cap_pi(sk)->chan);
+		chan = l2cap_pi(sk)->chan;
+		if (chan)
+			l2cap_chan_hold(chan);
 		release_sock(sk);
 		if (!chan) {
-			/* l2cap_conn_del() already tearing this child down */
+			/* Already torn down */
 			sock_put(sk);
 			continue;
 		}