diff --git a/fs/cifs/readdir.c b/fs/cifs/readdir.c
index e169e1a5fd35..3925a7bfc74d 100644
--- a/fs/cifs/readdir.c
+++ b/fs/cifs/readdir.c
@@ -655,7 +655,14 @@ find_cifs_entry(const unsigned int xid, struct cifs_tcon *tcon, loff_t pos,
 		/* scan and find it */
 		int i;
 		char *cur_ent;
-		char *end_of_smb = cfile->srch_inf.ntwrk_buf_start +
+		char *end_of_smb;
+
+		if (cfile->srch_inf.ntwrk_buf_start == NULL) {
+			cifs_dbg(VFS, "ntwrk_buf_start is NULL during readdir\n");
+			return -EIO;
+		}
+
+		end_of_smb = cfile->srch_inf.ntwrk_buf_start +
 			server->ops->calc_smb_size(
 					cfile->srch_inf.ntwrk_buf_start,
 					server);