diff --git a/net/core/rtnetlink.c b/net/core/rtnetlink.c
index 8bf770a7261e9..b943336908a7d 100644
--- a/net/core/rtnetlink.c
+++ b/net/core/rtnetlink.c
@@ -2644,17 +2644,23 @@ static int do_set_proto_down(struct net_device *dev,
 static int do_setlink(const struct sk_buff *skb,
 		      struct net_device *dev, struct ifinfomsg *ifm,
 		      struct netlink_ext_ack *extack,
-		      struct nlattr **tb, char *ifname, int status)
+		      struct nlattr **tb, int status)
 {
 	const struct net_device_ops *ops = dev->netdev_ops;
+	char ifname[IFNAMSIZ];
 	int err;
 
 	err = validate_linkmsg(dev, tb, extack);
 	if (err < 0)
 		return err;
 
+	if (tb[IFLA_IFNAME])
+		nla_strscpy(ifname, tb[IFLA_IFNAME], IFNAMSIZ);
+	else
+		ifname[0] = '\0';
+
 	if (tb[IFLA_NET_NS_PID] || tb[IFLA_NET_NS_FD] || tb[IFLA_TARGET_NETNSID]) {
-		const char *pat = ifname && ifname[0] ? ifname : NULL;
+		const char *pat = ifname[0] ? ifname : NULL;
 		struct net *net;
 		int new_ifindex;
 
@@ -3010,21 +3016,16 @@ static int do_setlink(const struct sk_buff *skb,
 }
 
 static struct net_device *rtnl_dev_get(struct net *net,
-				       struct nlattr *ifname_attr,
-				       struct nlattr *altifname_attr,
-				       char *ifname)
-{
-	char buffer[ALTIFNAMSIZ];
-
-	if (!ifname) {
-		ifname = buffer;
-		if (ifname_attr)
-			nla_strscpy(ifname, ifname_attr, IFNAMSIZ);
-		else if (altifname_attr)
-			nla_strscpy(ifname, altifname_attr, ALTIFNAMSIZ);
-		else
-			return NULL;
-	}
+				       struct nlattr *tb[])
+{
+	char ifname[ALTIFNAMSIZ];
+
+	if (tb[IFLA_IFNAME])
+		nla_strscpy(ifname, tb[IFLA_IFNAME], IFNAMSIZ);
+	else if (tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME])
+		nla_strscpy(ifname, tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME], ALTIFNAMSIZ);
+	else
+		return NULL;
 
 	return __dev_get_by_name(net, ifname);
 }
@@ -3037,7 +3038,6 @@ static int rtnl_setlink(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 	struct net_device *dev;
 	int err;
 	struct nlattr *tb[IFLA_MAX+1];
-	char ifname[IFNAMSIZ];
 
 	err = nlmsg_parse_deprecated(nlh, sizeof(*ifm), tb, IFLA_MAX,
 				     ifla_policy, extack);
@@ -3048,17 +3048,12 @@ static int rtnl_setlink(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto errout;
 
-	if (tb[IFLA_IFNAME])
-		nla_strscpy(ifname, tb[IFLA_IFNAME], IFNAMSIZ);
-	else
-		ifname[0] = '\0';
-
 	err = -EINVAL;
 	ifm = nlmsg_data(nlh);
 	if (ifm->ifi_index > 0)
 		dev = __dev_get_by_index(net, ifm->ifi_index);
 	else if (tb[IFLA_IFNAME] || tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME])
-		dev = rtnl_dev_get(net, NULL, tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME], ifname);
+		dev = rtnl_dev_get(net, tb);
 	else
 		goto errout;
 
@@ -3067,7 +3062,7 @@ static int rtnl_setlink(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 		goto errout;
 	}
 
-	err = do_setlink(skb, dev, ifm, extack, tb, ifname, 0);
+	err = do_setlink(skb, dev, ifm, extack, tb, 0);
 errout:
 	return err;
 }
@@ -3156,15 +3151,14 @@ static int rtnl_dellink(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 	if (ifm->ifi_index > 0)
 		dev = __dev_get_by_index(tgt_net, ifm->ifi_index);
 	else if (tb[IFLA_IFNAME] || tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME])
-		dev = rtnl_dev_get(net, tb[IFLA_IFNAME],
-				   tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME], NULL);
+		dev = rtnl_dev_get(net, tb);
 	else if (tb[IFLA_GROUP])
 		err = rtnl_group_dellink(tgt_net, nla_get_u32(tb[IFLA_GROUP]));
 	else
 		goto out;
 
 	if (!dev) {
-		if (tb[IFLA_IFNAME] || ifm->ifi_index > 0)
+		if (tb[IFLA_IFNAME] || tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME] || ifm->ifi_index > 0)
 			err = -ENODEV;
 
 		goto out;
@@ -3299,7 +3293,7 @@ static int rtnl_group_changelink(const struct sk_buff *skb,
 
 	for_each_netdev_safe(net, dev, aux) {
 		if (dev->group == group) {
-			err = do_setlink(skb, dev, ifm, extack, tb, NULL, 0);
+			err = do_setlink(skb, dev, ifm, extack, tb, 0);
 			if (err < 0)
 				return err;
 		}
@@ -3326,6 +3320,7 @@ static int __rtnl_newlink(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 	struct ifinfomsg *ifm;
 	char ifname[IFNAMSIZ];
 	struct nlattr **data;
+	bool link_specified;
 	int err;
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_MODULES
@@ -3340,18 +3335,17 @@ static int __rtnl_newlink(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 	if (err < 0)
 		return err;
 
-	if (tb[IFLA_IFNAME])
-		nla_strscpy(ifname, tb[IFLA_IFNAME], IFNAMSIZ);
-	else
-		ifname[0] = '\0';
-
 	ifm = nlmsg_data(nlh);
-	if (ifm->ifi_index > 0)
+	if (ifm->ifi_index > 0) {
+		link_specified = true;
 		dev = __dev_get_by_index(net, ifm->ifi_index);
-	else if (tb[IFLA_IFNAME] || tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME])
-		dev = rtnl_dev_get(net, NULL, tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME], ifname);
-	else
+	} else if (tb[IFLA_IFNAME] || tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME]) {
+		link_specified = true;
+		dev = rtnl_dev_get(net, tb);
+	} else {
+		link_specified = false;
 		dev = NULL;
+	}
 
 	master_dev = NULL;
 	m_ops = NULL;
@@ -3450,15 +3444,20 @@ static int __rtnl_newlink(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 			status |= DO_SETLINK_NOTIFY;
 		}
 
-		return do_setlink(skb, dev, ifm, extack, tb, ifname, status);
+		return do_setlink(skb, dev, ifm, extack, tb, status);
 	}
 
 	if (!(nlh->nlmsg_flags & NLM_F_CREATE)) {
-		if (ifm->ifi_index == 0 && tb[IFLA_GROUP])
+		/* No dev found and NLM_F_CREATE not set. Requested dev does not exist,
+		 * or it's for a group
+		*/
+		if (link_specified)
+			return -ENODEV;
+		if (tb[IFLA_GROUP])
 			return rtnl_group_changelink(skb, net,
 						nla_get_u32(tb[IFLA_GROUP]),
 						ifm, extack, tb);
-		return -ENODEV;
+		return -EINVAL;
 	}
 
 	if (tb[IFLA_MAP] || tb[IFLA_PROTINFO])
@@ -3482,7 +3481,9 @@ static int __rtnl_newlink(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 	if (!ops->alloc && !ops->setup)
 		return -EOPNOTSUPP;
 
-	if (!ifname[0]) {
+	if (tb[IFLA_IFNAME]) {
+		nla_strscpy(ifname, tb[IFLA_IFNAME], IFNAMSIZ);
+	} else {
 		snprintf(ifname, IFNAMSIZ, "%s%%d", ops->kind);
 		name_assign_type = NET_NAME_ENUM;
 	}
@@ -3654,8 +3655,7 @@ static int rtnl_getlink(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 	if (ifm->ifi_index > 0)
 		dev = __dev_get_by_index(tgt_net, ifm->ifi_index);
 	else if (tb[IFLA_IFNAME] || tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME])
-		dev = rtnl_dev_get(tgt_net, tb[IFLA_IFNAME],
-				   tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME], NULL);
+		dev = rtnl_dev_get(tgt_net, tb);
 	else
 		goto out;
 
@@ -3750,8 +3750,7 @@ static int rtnl_linkprop(int cmd, struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 	if (ifm->ifi_index > 0)
 		dev = __dev_get_by_index(net, ifm->ifi_index);
 	else if (tb[IFLA_IFNAME] || tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME])
-		dev = rtnl_dev_get(net, tb[IFLA_IFNAME],
-				   tb[IFLA_ALT_IFNAME], NULL);
+		dev = rtnl_dev_get(net, tb);
 	else
 		return -EINVAL;