diff --git a/data/85-nm-unmanaged.rules b/data/85-nm-unmanaged.rules
index aefab5c461..f8d95097ff 100644
--- a/data/85-nm-unmanaged.rules
+++ b/data/85-nm-unmanaged.rules
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ SUBSYSTEM!="net", GOTO="nm_unmanaged_end"
 # Determine ID_NET_DRIVER if there's no ID_NET_DRIVER or DRIVERS (old udev?)
 ENV{ID_NET_DRIVER}=="?*", GOTO="nm_unmanaged_driver"
 DRIVERS=="?*", GOTO="nm_unmanaged_driver"
-PROGRAM="/bin/sh -c '/usr/sbin/ethtool -i $env{INTERFACE} |/bin/sed -n s/^driver:\ //p'", RESULT=="?*", ENV{ID_NET_DRIVER}="%c"
+PROGRAM="/bin/sh -c 'test -e "/sys/class/net/$env{INTERFACE}" && /usr/sbin/ethtool -i "$env{INTERFACE}" | /bin/sed -n s/^driver:\ //p'", RESULT=="?*", ENV{ID_NET_DRIVER}="%c"
 LABEL="nm_unmanaged_driver"
 
 # VirtualBox host networking. Out-of-tree driver that looks like an ordinary
diff --git a/src/NetworkManagerUtils.c b/src/NetworkManagerUtils.c
index 80db6817a9..1e11f063c0 100644
--- a/src/NetworkManagerUtils.c
+++ b/src/NetworkManagerUtils.c
@@ -2681,28 +2681,35 @@ nm_utils_ip4_property_path (const char *ifname, const char *property)
 	return _get_property_path (ifname, property, FALSE);
 }
 
-const char *
-ASSERT_VALID_PATH_COMPONENT (const char *name)
+gboolean
+nm_utils_is_valid_path_component (const char *name)
 {
 	const char *n;
 
 	if (name == NULL || name[0] == '\0')
-		goto fail;
+		return FALSE;
 
 	if (name[0] == '.') {
 		if (name[1] == '\0')
-			goto fail;
+			return FALSE;
 		if (name[1] == '.' && name[2] == '\0')
-			goto fail;
+			return FALSE;
 	}
 	n = name;
 	do {
 		if (*n == '/')
-			goto fail;
+			return FALSE;
 	} while (*(++n) != '\0');
 
-	return name;
-fail:
+	return TRUE;
+}
+
+const char *
+ASSERT_VALID_PATH_COMPONENT (const char *name)
+{
+	if (G_LIKELY (nm_utils_is_valid_path_component (name)))
+		return name;
+
 	nm_log_err (LOGD_CORE, "Failed asserting path component: %s%s%s",
 	            NM_PRINT_FMT_QUOTED (name, "\"", name, "\"", "(null)"));
 	g_error ("FATAL: Failed asserting path component: %s%s%s",
diff --git a/src/NetworkManagerUtils.h b/src/NetworkManagerUtils.h
index c0ddba221d..70f62d47e2 100644
--- a/src/NetworkManagerUtils.h
+++ b/src/NetworkManagerUtils.h
@@ -163,6 +163,7 @@ gint64 nm_utils_get_monotonic_timestamp_ms (void);
 gint32 nm_utils_get_monotonic_timestamp_s (void);
 gint64 nm_utils_monotonic_timestamp_as_boottime (gint64 timestamp, gint64 timestamp_ticks_per_ns);
 
+gboolean    nm_utils_is_valid_path_component (const char *name);
 const char *ASSERT_VALID_PATH_COMPONENT (const char *name);
 const char *nm_utils_ip6_property_path (const char *ifname, const char *property);
 const char *nm_utils_ip4_property_path (const char *ifname, const char *property);
diff --git a/src/devices/nm-device.c b/src/devices/nm-device.c
index 3f5edd06ee..294456de1b 100644
--- a/src/devices/nm-device.c
+++ b/src/devices/nm-device.c
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ _LOG_DECLARE_SELF (NMDevice);
 static void impl_device_disconnect (NMDevice *self, DBusGMethodInvocation *context);
 static void impl_device_delete     (NMDevice *self, DBusGMethodInvocation *context);
 static void ip_check_ping_watch_cb (GPid pid, gint status, gpointer user_data);
+static gboolean ip_config_valid (NMDeviceState state);
 static void nm_device_update_metered (NMDevice *self);
 
 #include "nm-device-glue.h"
@@ -5940,26 +5941,18 @@ static void
 _update_ip4_address (NMDevice *self)
 {
 	NMDevicePrivate *priv = NM_DEVICE_GET_PRIVATE (self);
-	struct ifreq req;
-	guint32 new_address;
-	int fd;
+	guint32 addr;
 
-	g_return_if_fail (self  != NULL);
+	g_return_if_fail (NM_IS_DEVICE (self));
 
-	fd = socket (PF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM, 0);
-	if (fd < 0) {
-		_LOGE (LOGD_IP4, "couldn't open control socket.");
-		return;
+	if (   ip_config_valid (priv->state)
+	    && nm_ip4_config_get_num_addresses (priv->ip4_config)) {
+		addr = nm_ip4_config_get_address (priv->ip4_config, 0)->address;
+		if (addr != priv->ip4_address) {
+			priv->ip4_address = addr;
+			g_object_notify (G_OBJECT (self), NM_DEVICE_IP4_ADDRESS);
+		}
 	}
-
-	memset (&req, 0, sizeof (struct ifreq));
-	strncpy (req.ifr_name, nm_device_get_ip_iface (self), IFNAMSIZ);
-	if (ioctl (fd, SIOCGIFADDR, &req) == 0) {
-		new_address = ((struct sockaddr_in *)(&req.ifr_addr))->sin_addr.s_addr;
-		if (new_address != priv->ip4_address)
-			priv->ip4_address = new_address;
-	}
-	close (fd);
 }
 
 gboolean
diff --git a/src/platform/nm-linux-platform.c b/src/platform/nm-linux-platform.c
index 80757f4ef9..785ac6e274 100644
--- a/src/platform/nm-linux-platform.c
+++ b/src/platform/nm-linux-platform.c
@@ -2306,11 +2306,25 @@ event_notification (struct nl_msg *msg, gpointer user_data)
 	if (_support_user_ipv6ll_still_undecided() && msghdr->nlmsg_type == RTM_NEWLINK)
 		_support_user_ipv6ll_detect ((struct rtnl_link *) nlo);
 
-	obj = nmp_object_from_nl (platform, nlo, FALSE, TRUE);
+	switch (msghdr->nlmsg_type) {
+	case RTM_DELADDR:
+	case RTM_DELLINK:
+	case RTM_DELROUTE:
+		/* The event notifies about a deleted object. We don't need to initialize all the
+		 * fields of the nmp-object. Shortcut nmp_object_from_nl(). */
+		obj = nmp_object_from_nl (platform, nlo, TRUE, TRUE);
+		_LOGD ("event-notification: %s, seq %u: %s",
+		       _nl_nlmsg_type_to_str (msghdr->nlmsg_type, buf_nlmsg_type, sizeof (buf_nlmsg_type)),
+		       msghdr->nlmsg_seq, nmp_object_to_string (obj, NMP_OBJECT_TO_STRING_ID, NULL, 0));
+		break;
+	default:
+		obj = nmp_object_from_nl (platform, nlo, FALSE, TRUE);
+		_LOGD ("event-notification: %s, seq %u: %s",
+		       _nl_nlmsg_type_to_str (msghdr->nlmsg_type, buf_nlmsg_type, sizeof (buf_nlmsg_type)),
+		       msghdr->nlmsg_seq, nmp_object_to_string (obj, NMP_OBJECT_TO_STRING_PUBLIC, NULL, 0));
+		break;
+	}
 
-	_LOGD ("event-notification: %s, seq %u: %s",
-	       _nl_nlmsg_type_to_str (msghdr->nlmsg_type, buf_nlmsg_type, sizeof (buf_nlmsg_type)),
-	       msghdr->nlmsg_seq, nmp_object_to_string (obj, NMP_OBJECT_TO_STRING_PUBLIC, NULL, 0));
 	if (obj) {
 		auto_nmp_obj NMPObject *obj_cache = NULL;
 
diff --git a/src/platform/nm-platform-utils.c b/src/platform/nm-platform-utils.c
index 2d064e1dd3..c6ea6c99b9 100644
--- a/src/platform/nm-platform-utils.c
+++ b/src/platform/nm-platform-utils.c
@@ -48,8 +48,11 @@ ethtool_get (const char *name, gpointer edata)
 	if (!name || !*name)
 		return FALSE;
 
-	if (strlen (name) >= IFNAMSIZ)
-		g_return_val_if_reached (FALSE);
+	if (!nmp_utils_device_exists (name))
+		return FALSE;
+
+	/* nmp_utils_device_exists() already errors out if @name is invalid. */
+	nm_assert (strlen (name) < IFNAMSIZ);
 
 	memset (&ifr, 0, sizeof (ifr));
 	strcpy (ifr.ifr_name, name);
@@ -273,6 +276,9 @@ nmp_utils_mii_supports_carrier_detect (const char *ifname)
 	if (!ifname)
 		return FALSE;
 
+	if (!nmp_utils_device_exists (ifname))
+		return FALSE;
+
 	fd = socket (PF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM, 0);
 	if (fd < 0) {
 		nm_log_err (LOGD_PLATFORM, "mii: couldn't open control socket (%s)", ifname);
@@ -436,4 +442,17 @@ nmp_utils_lifetime_get (guint32 timestamp,
 	return TRUE;
 }
 
+gboolean
+nmp_utils_device_exists (const char *name)
+{
+#define SYS_CLASS_NET "/sys/class/net/"
+	char sysdir[STRLEN (SYS_CLASS_NET) + IFNAMSIZ] = SYS_CLASS_NET;
 
+	if (   !name
+	    || strlen (name) >= IFNAMSIZ
+	    || !nm_utils_is_valid_path_component (name))
+		g_return_val_if_reached (FALSE);
+
+	strcpy (&sysdir[STRLEN (SYS_CLASS_NET)], name);
+	return g_file_test (sysdir, G_FILE_TEST_EXISTS);
+}
diff --git a/src/platform/nm-platform-utils.h b/src/platform/nm-platform-utils.h
index 557de8440b..ebebb905b8 100644
--- a/src/platform/nm-platform-utils.h
+++ b/src/platform/nm-platform-utils.h
@@ -63,4 +63,6 @@ gboolean nmp_utils_lifetime_get (guint32 timestamp,
                                  guint32 *out_lifetime,
                                  guint32 *out_preferred);
 
+gboolean nmp_utils_device_exists (const char *name);
+
 #endif /* __NM_PLATFORM_UTILS_H__ */
diff --git a/src/platform/wifi/wifi-utils-wext.c b/src/platform/wifi/wifi-utils-wext.c
index 8428010ace..470b73d1c2 100644
--- a/src/platform/wifi/wifi-utils-wext.c
+++ b/src/platform/wifi/wifi-utils-wext.c
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 #include "wifi-utils-wext.h"
 #include "nm-logging.h"
 #include "nm-utils.h"
+#include "nm-platform-utils.h"
 
 /* Hacks necessary to #include wireless.h; yay for WEXT */
 #ifndef __user
@@ -670,6 +671,9 @@ wifi_wext_is_wifi (const char *iface)
 	struct iwreq iwr;
 	gboolean is_wifi = FALSE;
 
+	if (!nmp_utils_device_exists (iface))
+		return FALSE;
+
 	fd = socket (PF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM, 0);
 	if (fd >= 0) {
 		strncpy (iwr.ifr_ifrn.ifrn_name, iface, IFNAMSIZ);