diff --git a/drivers/iio/industrialio-buffer.c b/drivers/iio/industrialio-buffer.c
index 3d0b1d25fdd7..8104696cd475 100644
--- a/drivers/iio/industrialio-buffer.c
+++ b/drivers/iio/industrialio-buffer.c
@@ -2269,7 +2269,7 @@ int iio_buffers_alloc_sysfs_and_mask(struct iio_dev *indio_dev)
 
 		for (i = 0; i < indio_dev->num_channels; i++)
 			ml = max(ml, channels[i].scan_index + 1);
-		indio_dev->masklength = ml;
+		ACCESS_PRIVATE(indio_dev, masklength) = ml;
 	}
 
 	if (!iio_dev_opaque->attached_buffers_cnt)
diff --git a/include/linux/iio/iio.h b/include/linux/iio/iio.h
index dd6bbc468283..f6c0499853bb 100644
--- a/include/linux/iio/iio.h
+++ b/include/linux/iio/iio.h
@@ -609,7 +609,7 @@ struct iio_dev {
 	int				scan_bytes;
 
 	const unsigned long		*available_scan_masks;
-	unsigned			masklength;
+	unsigned			__private masklength;
 	const unsigned long		*active_scan_mask;
 	bool				scan_timestamp;
 	struct iio_trigger		*trig;
@@ -861,7 +861,7 @@ static inline const struct iio_scan_type
  */
 static inline unsigned int iio_get_masklength(const struct iio_dev *indio_dev)
 {
-	return indio_dev->masklength;
+	return ACCESS_PRIVATE(indio_dev, masklength);
 }
 
 /**