diff --git a/docs/misc/xen-command-line.markdown b/docs/misc/xen-command-line.markdown
index d99a20a44b..500c1246d9 100644
--- a/docs/misc/xen-command-line.markdown
+++ b/docs/misc/xen-command-line.markdown
@@ -1231,6 +1231,25 @@ The following resources are available:
   the cache allocation.
   * `cat` instructs Xen to enable/disable Cache Allocation Technology.
   * `cos_max` indicates the max value for COS ID.
+	
+### pv-linear-pt
+> `= <boolean>`
+
+> Default: `true`
+
+Only available if Xen is compiled with CONFIG\_PV\_LINEAR\_PT support
+enabled.
+
+Allow PV guests to have pagetable entries pointing to other pagetables
+of the same level (i.e., allowing L2 PTEs to point to other L2 pages).
+This technique is often called "linear pagetables", and is sometimes
+used to allow operating systems a simple way to consistently map the
+current process's pagetables into its own virtual address space.
+
+Linux and MiniOS don't use this technique.  NetBSD and Novell Netware
+do; there may be other custom operating systems which do.  If you're
+certain you don't plan on having PV guests which use this feature,
+turning it off can reduce the attack surface.
 
 ### reboot
 > `= t[riple] | k[bd] | a[cpi] | p[ci] | P[ower] | e[fi] | n[o] [, [w]arm | [c]old]`
diff --git a/xen/arch/x86/mm.c b/xen/arch/x86/mm.c
index 7ae3c33c25..f897eb6708 100644
--- a/xen/arch/x86/mm.c
+++ b/xen/arch/x86/mm.c
@@ -727,6 +727,9 @@ static void dec_linear_uses(struct page_info *pg)
  *     frame if it is mapped by a different root table. This is sufficient and
  *     also necessary to allow validation of a root table mapping itself.
  */
+static bool_t __read_mostly opt_pv_linear_pt = 1;
+boolean_param("pv-linear-pt", opt_pv_linear_pt);
+
 #define define_get_linear_pagetable(level)                                  \
 static int                                                                  \
 get_##level##_linear_pagetable(                                             \
@@ -736,6 +739,12 @@ get_##level##_linear_pagetable(                                             \
     struct page_info *page;                                                 \
     unsigned long pfn;                                                      \
                                                                             \
+    if ( !opt_pv_linear_pt )                                                \
+    {                                                                       \
+        MEM_LOG("Attempt to create linear p.t. (feature disabled)\n");      \
+        return 0;                                                           \
+    }                                                                       \
+                                                                            \
     if ( (level##e_get_flags(pde) & _PAGE_RW) )                             \
     {                                                                       \
         MEM_LOG("Attempt to create linear p.t. with write perms");          \