diff --git a/components/ipa/core/inc/wlan_ipa_priv.h b/components/ipa/core/inc/wlan_ipa_priv.h
index fcf22a5601ec..0ee805a0d521 100644
--- a/components/ipa/core/inc/wlan_ipa_priv.h
+++ b/components/ipa/core/inc/wlan_ipa_priv.h
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright (c) 2013-2020 The Linux Foundation. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2013-2021 The Linux Foundation. All rights reserved.
  *
  * Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for
  * any purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the
@@ -357,6 +357,7 @@ struct wlan_ipa_iface_context {
  * @num_tx_dequeued: Number of TX dequeued
  * @num_max_pm_queue: Number of packets in PM queue
  * @num_rx_excep: Number of RX IPA exception packets
+ * @num_rx_no_iface_eapol: No of EAPOL pkts before iface setup
  * @num_tx_fwd_ok: Number of TX forward packet success
  * @num_tx_fwd_err: Number of TX forward packet failures
  */
@@ -377,6 +378,7 @@ struct wlan_ipa_stats {
 	uint64_t num_tx_dequeued;
 	uint64_t num_max_pm_queue;
 	uint64_t num_rx_excep;
+	uint64_t num_rx_no_iface_eapol;
 	uint64_t num_tx_fwd_ok;
 	uint64_t num_tx_fwd_err;
 };
diff --git a/components/ipa/core/src/wlan_ipa_core.c b/components/ipa/core/src/wlan_ipa_core.c
index 434f51568fab..523e3b096825 100644
--- a/components/ipa/core/src/wlan_ipa_core.c
+++ b/components/ipa/core/src/wlan_ipa_core.c
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 /* Include Files */
 #include "wlan_ipa_core.h"
 #include "wlan_ipa_main.h"
+#include "wlan_hdd_main.h"
 #include <ol_txrx.h>
 #include "cdp_txrx_ipa.h"
 #include "wal_rx_desc.h"
@@ -902,6 +903,50 @@ wlan_ipa_rx_intrabss_fwd(struct wlan_ipa_priv *ipa_ctx,
 
 #endif /* CONFIG_IPA_WDI_UNIFIED_API */
 
+/**
+ * wlan_ipa_send_sta_eapol_to_nw() - Send Rx EAPOL pkt for STA to Kernel
+ * @skb: network buffer
+ *
+ * Called when a EAPOL packet is received via IPA Exception path
+ * before wlan_ipa_setup_iface is done for STA.
+ *
+ * Return: 0 on success, err_code for failure.
+ */
+static int wlan_ipa_send_sta_eapol_to_nw(qdf_nbuf_t skb)
+{
+	struct wlan_ipa_priv *ipa_ctx = gp_ipa;
+	struct hdd_context *hdd_ctx;
+	struct hdd_adapter *adapter;
+	struct ethhdr *eh;
+
+	hdd_ctx = cds_get_context(QDF_MODULE_ID_HDD);
+	if (!hdd_ctx) {
+		ipa_err_rl("Invalid hdd_context");
+		return -EINVAL;
+	}
+
+	eh = (struct ethhdr *)qdf_nbuf_data(skb);
+	adapter = hdd_get_adapter_by_macaddr(hdd_ctx, eh->h_dest);
+	if (hdd_validate_adapter(adapter)) {
+		ipa_err_rl("Invalid adapter");
+		return -EINVAL;
+	}
+	if (adapter->device_mode != QDF_STA_MODE) {
+		ipa_err_rl("device_mode is not STA");
+		return -EINVAL;
+	}
+
+	skb->destructor = wlan_ipa_uc_rt_debug_destructor;
+
+	if (ipa_ctx->send_to_nw)
+		ipa_ctx->send_to_nw(skb, adapter->dev);
+
+	ipa_ctx->ipa_rx_net_send_count++;
+	ipa_ctx->stats.num_rx_no_iface_eapol++;
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 /**
  * wlan_ipa_send_skb_to_network() - Send skb to kernel
  * @skb: network buffer
@@ -966,13 +1011,24 @@ static void __wlan_ipa_w2i_cb(void *priv, qdf_ipa_dp_evt_type_t evt,
 		if (wlan_ipa_uc_is_enabled(ipa_ctx->config)) {
 			session_id = (uint8_t)skb->cb[0];
 			iface_id = ipa_ctx->vdev_to_iface[session_id];
+			ipa_ctx->stats.num_rx_excep++;
+			qdf_nbuf_pull_head(skb, WLAN_IPA_UC_WLAN_CLD_HDR_LEN);
 		} else {
 			iface_id = WLAN_IPA_GET_IFACE_ID(skb->data);
+			qdf_nbuf_pull_head(skb, WLAN_IPA_WLAN_CLD_HDR_LEN);
 		}
+
 		if (iface_id >= WLAN_IPA_MAX_IFACE) {
-			ipa_err_rl("Invalid iface_id: %u,session id: %x %x %x %x. Dropped!",
+			ipa_err_rl("Invalid iface_id %u,session_id %x %x %x %x",
 				   iface_id, session_id, (uint8_t)skb->cb[1],
 				   (uint8_t)skb->cb[2], (uint8_t)skb->cb[3]);
+
+			if (qdf_nbuf_is_ipv4_eapol_pkt(skb)) {
+				ipa_err_rl("EAPOL pkt. Sending to NW!");
+				if (!wlan_ipa_send_sta_eapol_to_nw(skb))
+					break;
+			}
+			ipa_err_rl("Pkt Dropped!");
 			ipa_ctx->ipa_rx_internal_drop_count++;
 			dev_kfree_skb_any(skb);
 			return;
@@ -986,13 +1042,6 @@ static void __wlan_ipa_w2i_cb(void *priv, qdf_ipa_dp_evt_type_t evt,
 			dev_kfree_skb_any(skb);
 			return;
 		}
-
-		if (wlan_ipa_uc_is_enabled(ipa_ctx->config)) {
-			ipa_ctx->stats.num_rx_excep++;
-			qdf_nbuf_pull_head(skb, WLAN_IPA_UC_WLAN_CLD_HDR_LEN);
-		} else {
-			qdf_nbuf_pull_head(skb, WLAN_IPA_WLAN_CLD_HDR_LEN);
-		}
 		iface_context->stats.num_rx_ipa_excep++;
 
 		/* Disable to forward Intra-BSS Rx packets when