diff --git a/procfs_linux.go b/procfs_linux.go
index ef0f44a..fdb13d0 100644
--- a/procfs_linux.go
+++ b/procfs_linux.go
@@ -332,10 +332,10 @@ func hasStatxMountId() bool {
 	return hasStatxMountIdBool
 }
 
-func checkSymlinkOvermount(procRoot *os.File, dir *os.File, path string) error {
+func getMountId(dir *os.File, path string) (uint64, error) {
 	// If we don't have statx(STATX_MNT_ID*) support, we can't do anything.
 	if !hasStatxMountId() {
-		return nil
+		return 0, nil
 	}
 
 	var (
@@ -345,31 +345,29 @@ func checkSymlinkOvermount(procRoot *os.File, dir *os.File, path string) error {
 		wantStxMask uint32 = unix.STATX_MNT_ID_UNIQUE | unix.STATX_MNT_ID
 	)
 
-	// Get the mntId of our procfs handle.
-	err := unix.Statx(int(procRoot.Fd()), "", unix.AT_EMPTY_PATH, int(wantStxMask), &stx)
-	if err != nil {
-		return &os.PathError{Op: "statx", Path: dir.Name(), Err: err}
-	}
+	err := unix.Statx(int(dir.Fd()), path, unix.AT_EMPTY_PATH|unix.AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW, int(wantStxMask), &stx)
 	if stx.Mask&wantStxMask == 0 {
 		// It's not a kernel limitation, for some reason we couldn't get a
 		// mount ID. Assume it's some kind of attack.
-		return fmt.Errorf("%w: could not get mnt id of dir %s", errUnsafeProcfs, dir.Name())
+		err = fmt.Errorf("%w: could not get mount id", errUnsafeProcfs)
 	}
-	expectedMountId := stx.Mnt_id
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, &os.PathError{Op: "statx(STATX_MNT_ID_...)", Path: dir.Name() + "/" + path, Err: err}
+	}
+	return stx.Mnt_id, nil
+}
 
-	// Get the mntId of the target symlink.
-	stx = unix.Statx_t{}
-	err = unix.Statx(int(dir.Fd()), path, unix.AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW|unix.AT_EMPTY_PATH, int(wantStxMask), &stx)
+func checkSymlinkOvermount(procRoot *os.File, dir *os.File, path string) error {
+	// Get the mntId of our procfs handle.
+	expectedMountId, err := getMountId(procRoot, "")
 	if err != nil {
-		return &os.PathError{Op: "statx", Path: dir.Name() + "/" + path, Err: err}
+		return err
 	}
-	if stx.Mask&wantStxMask == 0 {
-		// It's not a kernel limitation, for some reason we couldn't get a
-		// mount ID. Assume it's some kind of attack.
-		return fmt.Errorf("%w: could not get mnt id of symlink %s", errUnsafeProcfs, path)
+	// Get the mntId of the target magic-link.
+	gotMountId, err := getMountId(dir, path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
-	gotMountId := stx.Mnt_id
-
 	// As long as the directory mount is alive, even with wrapping mount IDs,
 	// we would expect to see a different mount ID here. (Of course, if we're
 	// using unsafeHostProcRoot() then an attaker could change this after we