diff --git a/modutils/modprobe-small.c b/modutils/modprobe-small.c
index b7990bff1..dafe91ed7 100644
--- a/modutils/modprobe-small.c
+++ b/modutils/modprobe-small.c
@@ -149,9 +149,13 @@ static void replace(char *s, char what, char with)
 static char *filename2modname(const char *filename, char *modname)
 {
 	int i;
-	char *from;
+	const char *from;
 
-	from = bb_get_last_path_component_nostrip(filename);
+	// Disabled since otherwise "modprobe dir/name" would work
+	// as if it is "modprobe name". It is unclear why
+	// 'basenamization' was here in the first place.
+	//from = bb_get_last_path_component_nostrip(filename);
+	from = filename;
 	for (i = 0; i < (MODULE_NAME_LEN-1) && from[i] != '\0' && from[i] != '.'; i++)
 		modname[i] = (from[i] == '-') ? '_' : from[i];
 	modname[i] = '\0';
diff --git a/modutils/modprobe.c b/modutils/modprobe.c
index f0904285b..f08f0850d 100644
--- a/modutils/modprobe.c
+++ b/modutils/modprobe.c
@@ -238,17 +238,6 @@ static void add_probe(const char *name)
 {
 	struct module_entry *m;
 
-	/*
-	 * get_or_add_modentry() strips path from name and works
-	 * on remaining basename.
-	 * This would make "rmmod dir/name" and "modprobe dir/name"
-	 * to work like "rmmod name" and "modprobe name",
-	 * which is wrong, and can be abused via implicit modprobing:
-	 * "ifconfig /usbserial up" tries to modprobe netdev-/usbserial.
-	 */
-	if (strchr(name, '/'))
-		bb_error_msg_and_die("malformed module name '%s'", name);
-
 	m = get_or_add_modentry(name);
 	if (!(option_mask32 & (OPT_REMOVE | OPT_SHOW_DEPS))
 	 && (m->flags & MODULE_FLAG_LOADED)
diff --git a/modutils/modutils.c b/modutils/modutils.c
index 6187ca72f..ff79d3fac 100644
--- a/modutils/modutils.c
+++ b/modutils/modutils.c
@@ -48,13 +48,17 @@ int FAST_FUNC string_to_llist(char *string, llist_t **llist, const char *delim)
 char* FAST_FUNC filename2modname(const char *filename, char *modname)
 {
 	int i;
-	char *from;
+	const char *from;
 
 	if (filename == NULL)
 		return NULL;
 	if (modname == NULL)
 		modname = xmalloc(MODULE_NAME_LEN);
-	from = bb_get_last_path_component_nostrip(filename);
+	// Disabled since otherwise "modprobe dir/name" would work
+	// as if it is "modprobe name". It is unclear why
+	// 'basenamization' was here in the first place.
+	//from = bb_get_last_path_component_nostrip(filename);
+	from = filename;
 	for (i = 0; i < (MODULE_NAME_LEN-1) && from[i] != '\0' && from[i] != '.'; i++)
 		modname[i] = (from[i] == '-') ? '_' : from[i];
 	modname[i] = '\0';