diff --git a/fs/char_dev.c b/fs/char_dev.c
index c5e6eff5a381..ba0ded7842a7 100644
--- a/fs/char_dev.c
+++ b/fs/char_dev.c
@@ -483,6 +483,9 @@ int cdev_add(struct cdev *p, dev_t dev, unsigned count)
 	p->dev = dev;
 	p->count = count;
 
+	if (WARN_ON(dev == WHITEOUT_DEV))
+		return -EBUSY;
+
 	error = kobj_map(cdev_map, dev, count, NULL,
 			 exact_match, exact_lock, p);
 	if (error)
diff --git a/fs/namei.c b/fs/namei.c
index a320371899cf..d81f73ff1a8b 100644
--- a/fs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/namei.c
@@ -3505,12 +3505,14 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(user_path_create);
 
 int vfs_mknod(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry, umode_t mode, dev_t dev)
 {
+	bool is_whiteout = S_ISCHR(mode) && dev == WHITEOUT_DEV;
 	int error = may_create(dir, dentry);
 
 	if (error)
 		return error;
 
-	if ((S_ISCHR(mode) || S_ISBLK(mode)) && !capable(CAP_MKNOD))
+	if ((S_ISCHR(mode) || S_ISBLK(mode)) && !is_whiteout &&
+	    !capable(CAP_MKNOD))
 		return -EPERM;
 
 	if (!dir->i_op->mknod)
@@ -4345,9 +4347,6 @@ static int do_renameat2(int olddfd, const char __user *oldname, int newdfd,
 	    (flags & RENAME_EXCHANGE))
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	if ((flags & RENAME_WHITEOUT) && !capable(CAP_MKNOD))
-		return -EPERM;
-
 	if (flags & RENAME_EXCHANGE)
 		target_flags = 0;
 
@@ -4483,20 +4482,6 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE2(rename, const char __user *, oldname, const char __user *, newna
 	return do_renameat2(AT_FDCWD, oldname, AT_FDCWD, newname, 0);
 }
 
-int vfs_whiteout(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry)
-{
-	int error = may_create(dir, dentry);
-	if (error)
-		return error;
-
-	if (!dir->i_op->mknod)
-		return -EPERM;
-
-	return dir->i_op->mknod(dir, dentry,
-				S_IFCHR | WHITEOUT_MODE, WHITEOUT_DEV);
-}
-EXPORT_SYMBOL(vfs_whiteout);
-
 int readlink_copy(char __user *buffer, int buflen, const char *link)
 {
 	int len = PTR_ERR(link);
diff --git a/include/linux/device_cgroup.h b/include/linux/device_cgroup.h
index fa35b52e0002..57e63bd63370 100644
--- a/include/linux/device_cgroup.h
+++ b/include/linux/device_cgroup.h
@@ -51,6 +51,9 @@ static inline int devcgroup_inode_mknod(int mode, dev_t dev)
 	if (!S_ISBLK(mode) && !S_ISCHR(mode))
 		return 0;
 
+	if (S_ISCHR(mode) && dev == WHITEOUT_DEV)
+		return 0;
+
 	if (S_ISBLK(mode))
 		type = DEVCG_DEV_BLOCK;
 	else
diff --git a/include/linux/fs.h b/include/linux/fs.h
index 4f6f59b4f22a..15665ef1ef90 100644
--- a/include/linux/fs.h
+++ b/include/linux/fs.h
@@ -1721,7 +1721,11 @@ extern int vfs_link(struct dentry *, struct inode *, struct dentry *, struct ino
 extern int vfs_rmdir(struct inode *, struct dentry *);
 extern int vfs_unlink(struct inode *, struct dentry *, struct inode **);
 extern int vfs_rename(struct inode *, struct dentry *, struct inode *, struct dentry *, struct inode **, unsigned int);
-extern int vfs_whiteout(struct inode *, struct dentry *);
+
+static inline int vfs_whiteout(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry)
+{
+	return vfs_mknod(dir, dentry, S_IFCHR | WHITEOUT_MODE, WHITEOUT_DEV);
+}
 
 extern struct dentry *vfs_tmpfile(struct dentry *dentry, umode_t mode,
 				  int open_flag);