diff --git a/include/linux/key.h b/include/linux/key.h
index aaa93fe3f587..33d87cb2d469 100644
--- a/include/linux/key.h
+++ b/include/linux/key.h
@@ -86,9 +86,20 @@ struct keyring_list;
 struct keyring_name;
 
 struct keyring_index_key {
+	union {
+		struct {
+#ifdef __LITTLE_ENDIAN /* Put desc_len at the LSB of x */
+			u8	desc_len;
+			char	desc[sizeof(long) - 1];	/* First few chars of description */
+#else
+			char	desc[sizeof(long) - 1];	/* First few chars of description */
+			u8	desc_len;
+#endif
+		};
+		unsigned long x;
+	};
 	struct key_type		*type;
 	const char		*description;
-	size_t			desc_len;
 };
 
 union key_payload {
@@ -202,6 +213,7 @@ struct key {
 	union {
 		struct keyring_index_key index_key;
 		struct {
+			unsigned long	len_desc;
 			struct key_type	*type;		/* type of key */
 			char		*description;
 		};
diff --git a/security/keys/internal.h b/security/keys/internal.h
index 8f533c81aa8d..02592d24f13a 100644
--- a/security/keys/internal.h
+++ b/security/keys/internal.h
@@ -90,6 +90,12 @@ extern struct mutex key_construction_mutex;
 extern wait_queue_head_t request_key_conswq;
 
 
+static inline void key_set_index_key(struct keyring_index_key *index_key)
+{
+	size_t n = min_t(size_t, index_key->desc_len, sizeof(index_key->desc));
+	memcpy(index_key->desc, index_key->description, n);
+}
+
 extern struct key_type *key_type_lookup(const char *type);
 extern void key_type_put(struct key_type *ktype);
 
diff --git a/security/keys/key.c b/security/keys/key.c
index d705b950ce2a..1d0250a8990e 100644
--- a/security/keys/key.c
+++ b/security/keys/key.c
@@ -285,6 +285,7 @@ struct key *key_alloc(struct key_type *type, const char *desc,
 	key->index_key.description = kmemdup(desc, desclen + 1, GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!key->index_key.description)
 		goto no_memory_3;
+	key_set_index_key(&key->index_key);
 
 	refcount_set(&key->usage, 1);
 	init_rwsem(&key->sem);
@@ -859,6 +860,7 @@ key_ref_t key_create_or_update(key_ref_t keyring_ref,
 			goto error_free_prep;
 	}
 	index_key.desc_len = strlen(index_key.description);
+	key_set_index_key(&index_key);
 
 	ret = __key_link_begin(keyring, &index_key, &edit);
 	if (ret < 0) {
diff --git a/security/keys/keyring.c b/security/keys/keyring.c
index eadebb92986a..bece229aeccd 100644
--- a/security/keys/keyring.c
+++ b/security/keys/keyring.c
@@ -179,9 +179,9 @@ static unsigned long hash_key_type_and_desc(const struct keyring_index_key *inde
 	int n, desc_len = index_key->desc_len;
 
 	type = (unsigned long)index_key->type;
-
 	acc = mult_64x32_and_fold(type, desc_len + 13);
 	acc = mult_64x32_and_fold(acc, 9207);
+
 	for (;;) {
 		n = desc_len;
 		if (n <= 0)
@@ -215,23 +215,13 @@ static unsigned long hash_key_type_and_desc(const struct keyring_index_key *inde
 /*
  * Build the next index key chunk.
  *
- * On 32-bit systems the index key is laid out as:
- *
- *	0	4	5	9...
- *	hash	desclen	typeptr	desc[]
- *
- * On 64-bit systems:
- *
- *	0	8	9	17...
- *	hash	desclen	typeptr	desc[]
- *
  * We return it one word-sized chunk at a time.
  */
 static unsigned long keyring_get_key_chunk(const void *data, int level)
 {
 	const struct keyring_index_key *index_key = data;
 	unsigned long chunk = 0;
-	long offset = 0;
+	const u8 *d;
 	int desc_len = index_key->desc_len, n = sizeof(chunk);
 
 	level /= ASSOC_ARRAY_KEY_CHUNK_SIZE;
@@ -239,32 +229,23 @@ static unsigned long keyring_get_key_chunk(const void *data, int level)
 	case 0:
 		return hash_key_type_and_desc(index_key);
 	case 1:
-		return ((unsigned long)index_key->type << 8) | desc_len;
+		return index_key->x;
 	case 2:
-		if (desc_len == 0)
-			return (u8)((unsigned long)index_key->type >>
-				    (ASSOC_ARRAY_KEY_CHUNK_SIZE - 8));
-		n--;
-		offset = 1;
+		return (unsigned long)index_key->type;
 	default:
-		offset += sizeof(chunk) - 1;
-		offset += (level - 3) * sizeof(chunk);
-		if (offset >= desc_len)
+		level -= 3;
+		if (desc_len <= sizeof(index_key->desc))
 			return 0;
-		desc_len -= offset;
+
+		d = index_key->description + sizeof(index_key->desc);
+		d += level * sizeof(long);
+		desc_len -= sizeof(index_key->desc);
 		if (desc_len > n)
 			desc_len = n;
-		offset += desc_len;
 		do {
 			chunk <<= 8;
-			chunk |= ((u8*)index_key->description)[--offset];
+			chunk |= *d++;
 		} while (--desc_len > 0);
-
-		if (level == 2) {
-			chunk <<= 8;
-			chunk |= (u8)((unsigned long)index_key->type >>
-				      (ASSOC_ARRAY_KEY_CHUNK_SIZE - 8));
-		}
 		return chunk;
 	}
 }
@@ -303,39 +284,28 @@ static int keyring_diff_objects(const void *object, const void *data)
 	seg_b = hash_key_type_and_desc(b);
 	if ((seg_a ^ seg_b) != 0)
 		goto differ;
+	level += ASSOC_ARRAY_KEY_CHUNK_SIZE / 8;
 
 	/* The number of bits contributed by the hash is controlled by a
 	 * constant in the assoc_array headers.  Everything else thereafter we
 	 * can deal with as being machine word-size dependent.
 	 */
-	level += ASSOC_ARRAY_KEY_CHUNK_SIZE / 8;
-	seg_a = a->desc_len;
-	seg_b = b->desc_len;
+	seg_a = a->x;
+	seg_b = b->x;
 	if ((seg_a ^ seg_b) != 0)
 		goto differ;
+	level += sizeof(unsigned long);
 
 	/* The next bit may not work on big endian */
-	level++;
 	seg_a = (unsigned long)a->type;
 	seg_b = (unsigned long)b->type;
 	if ((seg_a ^ seg_b) != 0)
 		goto differ;
-
 	level += sizeof(unsigned long);
-	if (a->desc_len == 0)
-		goto same;
 
-	i = 0;
-	if (((unsigned long)a->description | (unsigned long)b->description) &
-	    (sizeof(unsigned long) - 1)) {
-		do {
-			seg_a = *(unsigned long *)(a->description + i);
-			seg_b = *(unsigned long *)(b->description + i);
-			if ((seg_a ^ seg_b) != 0)
-				goto differ_plus_i;
-			i += sizeof(unsigned long);
-		} while (i < (a->desc_len & (sizeof(unsigned long) - 1)));
-	}
+	i = sizeof(a->desc);
+	if (a->desc_len <= i)
+		goto same;
 
 	for (; i < a->desc_len; i++) {
 		seg_a = *(unsigned char *)(a->description + i);
@@ -661,8 +631,10 @@ static bool search_nested_keyrings(struct key *keyring,
 	BUG_ON((ctx->flags & STATE_CHECKS) == 0 ||
 	       (ctx->flags & STATE_CHECKS) == STATE_CHECKS);
 
-	if (ctx->index_key.description)
+	if (ctx->index_key.description) {
 		ctx->index_key.desc_len = strlen(ctx->index_key.description);
+		key_set_index_key(&ctx->index_key);
+	}
 
 	/* Check to see if this top-level keyring is what we are looking for
 	 * and whether it is valid or not.
diff --git a/security/keys/persistent.c b/security/keys/persistent.c
index d0cb5b32eff7..fc29ec59efa7 100644
--- a/security/keys/persistent.c
+++ b/security/keys/persistent.c
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ static long key_get_persistent(struct user_namespace *ns, kuid_t uid,
 	index_key.type = &key_type_keyring;
 	index_key.description = buf;
 	index_key.desc_len = sprintf(buf, "_persistent.%u", from_kuid(ns, uid));
+	key_set_index_key(&index_key);
 
 	if (ns->persistent_keyring_register) {
 		reg_ref = make_key_ref(ns->persistent_keyring_register, true);
