diff --git a/drivers/mtd/ubi/eba.c b/drivers/mtd/ubi/eba.c
index 61356a9b1303..5780dd1ba79d 100644
--- a/drivers/mtd/ubi/eba.c
+++ b/drivers/mtd/ubi/eba.c
@@ -426,8 +426,25 @@ retry:
 						 pnum, vol_id, lnum);
 					err = -EBADMSG;
 				} else {
-					err = -EINVAL;
-					ubi_ro_mode(ubi);
+					/*
+					 * Ending up here in the non-Fastmap case
+					 * is a clear bug as the VID header had to
+					 * be present at scan time to have it referenced.
+					 * With fastmap the story is more complicated.
+					 * Fastmap has the mapping info without the need
+					 * of a full scan. So the LEB could have been
+					 * unmapped, Fastmap cannot know this and keeps
+					 * the LEB referenced.
+					 * This is valid and works as the layer above UBI
+					 * has to do bookkeeping about used/referenced
+					 * LEBs in any case.
+					 */
+					if (ubi->fast_attach) {
+						err = -EBADMSG;
+					} else {
+						err = -EINVAL;
+						ubi_ro_mode(ubi);
+					}
 				}
 			}
 			goto out_free;
diff --git a/drivers/mtd/ubi/fastmap.c b/drivers/mtd/ubi/fastmap.c
index 263b439e21a8..990898b9dc72 100644
--- a/drivers/mtd/ubi/fastmap.c
+++ b/drivers/mtd/ubi/fastmap.c
@@ -1058,6 +1058,7 @@ int ubi_scan_fastmap(struct ubi_device *ubi, struct ubi_attach_info *ai,
 	ubi_msg(ubi, "fastmap WL pool size: %d",
 		ubi->fm_wl_pool.max_size);
 	ubi->fm_disabled = 0;
+	ubi->fast_attach = 1;
 
 	ubi_free_vid_hdr(ubi, vh);
 	kfree(ech);
diff --git a/drivers/mtd/ubi/ubi.h b/drivers/mtd/ubi/ubi.h
index dadc6a9d5755..61d4e99755a4 100644
--- a/drivers/mtd/ubi/ubi.h
+++ b/drivers/mtd/ubi/ubi.h
@@ -466,6 +466,7 @@ struct ubi_debug_info {
  * @fm_eba_sem: allows ubi_update_fastmap() to block EBA table changes
  * @fm_work: fastmap work queue
  * @fm_work_scheduled: non-zero if fastmap work was scheduled
+ * @fast_attach: non-zero if UBI was attached by fastmap
  *
  * @used: RB-tree of used physical eraseblocks
  * @erroneous: RB-tree of erroneous used physical eraseblocks
@@ -574,6 +575,7 @@ struct ubi_device {
 	size_t fm_size;
 	struct work_struct fm_work;
 	int fm_work_scheduled;
+	int fast_attach;
 
 	/* Wear-leveling sub-system's stuff */
 	struct rb_root used;