diff --git a/drivers/staging/comedi/comedi_buf.c b/drivers/staging/comedi/comedi_buf.c
index 924fce977985..257595016161 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/comedi/comedi_buf.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/comedi/comedi_buf.c
@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ static void __comedi_buf_free(struct comedi_device *dev,
 			      struct comedi_subdevice *s)
 {
 	struct comedi_async *async = s->async;
+	struct comedi_buf_map *bm;
+	unsigned long flags;
 
 	if (async->prealloc_buf) {
 		vunmap(async->prealloc_buf);
@@ -68,8 +70,11 @@ static void __comedi_buf_free(struct comedi_device *dev,
 		async->prealloc_bufsz = 0;
 	}
 
-	comedi_buf_map_put(async->buf_map);
+	spin_lock_irqsave(&s->spin_lock, flags);
+	bm = async->buf_map;
 	async->buf_map = NULL;
+	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&s->spin_lock, flags);
+	comedi_buf_map_put(bm);
 }
 
 static void __comedi_buf_alloc(struct comedi_device *dev,
@@ -80,6 +85,7 @@ static void __comedi_buf_alloc(struct comedi_device *dev,
 	struct page **pages = NULL;
 	struct comedi_buf_map *bm;
 	struct comedi_buf_page *buf;
+	unsigned long flags;
 	unsigned i;
 
 	if (!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_HAS_DMA) && s->async_dma_dir != DMA_NONE) {
@@ -92,8 +98,10 @@ static void __comedi_buf_alloc(struct comedi_device *dev,
 	if (!bm)
 		return;
 
-	async->buf_map = bm;
 	kref_init(&bm->refcount);
+	spin_lock_irqsave(&s->spin_lock, flags);
+	async->buf_map = bm;
+	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&s->spin_lock, flags);
 	bm->dma_dir = s->async_dma_dir;
 	if (bm->dma_dir != DMA_NONE)
 		/* Need ref to hardware device to free buffer later. */
@@ -127,7 +135,9 @@ static void __comedi_buf_alloc(struct comedi_device *dev,
 
 		pages[i] = virt_to_page(buf->virt_addr);
 	}
+	spin_lock_irqsave(&s->spin_lock, flags);
 	bm->n_pages = i;
+	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&s->spin_lock, flags);
 
 	/* vmap the prealloc_buf if all the pages were allocated */
 	if (i == n_pages)
@@ -150,6 +160,29 @@ int comedi_buf_map_put(struct comedi_buf_map *bm)
 	return 1;
 }
 
+/* returns s->async->buf_map and increments its kref refcount */
+struct comedi_buf_map *
+comedi_buf_map_from_subdev_get(struct comedi_subdevice *s)
+{
+	struct comedi_async *async = s->async;
+	struct comedi_buf_map *bm = NULL;
+	unsigned long flags;
+
+	if (!async)
+		return NULL;
+
+	spin_lock_irqsave(&s->spin_lock, flags);
+	bm = async->buf_map;
+	/* only want it if buffer pages allocated */
+	if (bm && bm->n_pages)
+		comedi_buf_map_get(bm);
+	else
+		bm = NULL;
+	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&s->spin_lock, flags);
+
+	return bm;
+}
+
 bool comedi_buf_is_mmapped(struct comedi_async *async)
 {
 	struct comedi_buf_map *bm = async->buf_map;
diff --git a/drivers/staging/comedi/comedi_fops.c b/drivers/staging/comedi/comedi_fops.c
index ea6dc36d753b..acc80197e35e 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/comedi/comedi_fops.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/comedi/comedi_fops.c
@@ -1926,14 +1926,21 @@ static int comedi_mmap(struct file *file, struct vm_area_struct *vma)
 	struct comedi_device *dev = file->private_data;
 	struct comedi_subdevice *s;
 	struct comedi_async *async;
-	struct comedi_buf_map *bm;
+	struct comedi_buf_map *bm = NULL;
 	unsigned long start = vma->vm_start;
 	unsigned long size;
 	int n_pages;
 	int i;
 	int retval;
 
-	mutex_lock(&dev->mutex);
+	/*
+	 * 'trylock' avoids circular dependency with current->mm->mmap_sem
+	 * and down-reading &dev->attach_lock should normally succeed without
+	 * contention unless the device is in the process of being attached
+	 * or detached.
+	 */
+	if (!down_read_trylock(&dev->attach_lock))
+		return -EAGAIN;
 
 	if (!dev->attached) {
 		dev_dbg(dev->class_dev, "no driver attached\n");
@@ -1973,7 +1980,9 @@ static int comedi_mmap(struct file *file, struct vm_area_struct *vma)
 	}
 
 	n_pages = size >> PAGE_SHIFT;
-	bm = async->buf_map;
+
+	/* get reference to current buf map (if any) */
+	bm = comedi_buf_map_from_subdev_get(s);
 	if (!bm || n_pages > bm->n_pages) {
 		retval = -EINVAL;
 		goto done;
@@ -1997,7 +2006,8 @@ static int comedi_mmap(struct file *file, struct vm_area_struct *vma)
 
 	retval = 0;
 done:
-	mutex_unlock(&dev->mutex);
+	up_read(&dev->attach_lock);
+	comedi_buf_map_put(bm);	/* put reference to buf map - okay if NULL */
 	return retval;
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/staging/comedi/comedi_internal.h b/drivers/staging/comedi/comedi_internal.h
index 9a746570f161..a492f2d2436e 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/comedi/comedi_internal.h
+++ b/drivers/staging/comedi/comedi_internal.h
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ void comedi_buf_reset(struct comedi_async *async);
 bool comedi_buf_is_mmapped(struct comedi_async *async);
 void comedi_buf_map_get(struct comedi_buf_map *bm);
 int comedi_buf_map_put(struct comedi_buf_map *bm);
+struct comedi_buf_map *comedi_buf_map_from_subdev_get(
+		struct comedi_subdevice *s);
 unsigned int comedi_buf_write_n_allocated(struct comedi_async *async);
 void comedi_device_cancel_all(struct comedi_device *dev);