diff --git a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_crypto.h b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_crypto.h
index df0c0b8..489314b 100644
--- a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_crypto.h
+++ b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_crypto.h
+
+/**
+ * Allocate a symmetric crypto operation in the private data of an mbuf.
+ *
+ * @param	m	mbuf which is associated with the crypto operation, the
+ *			operation will be allocated in the private data of that
+ *			mbuf.
+ *
+ * @returns
+ * - On success returns a pointer to the crypto operation.
+ * - On failure returns NULL.
+ */
+static inline struct rte_crypto_op *
+rte_crypto_sym_op_alloc_from_mbuf_priv_data(struct rte_mbuf *m)
+{
+	if (unlikely(m == NULL))
+		return NULL;
+
+	/*
+	 * check that the mbuf's private data size is sufficient to contain a
+	 * crypto operation
+	 */
+	if (unlikely(m->priv_size < (sizeof(struct rte_crypto_op) +
+			sizeof(struct rte_crypto_sym_op))))
+		return NULL;
+
+	/* private data starts immediately after the mbuf header in the mbuf. */
+	struct rte_crypto_op *op = (struct rte_crypto_op *)(m + 1);
+
+	__rte_crypto_op_reset(op, RTE_CRYPTO_OP_TYPE_SYMMETRIC);
+
+	op->mempool = NULL;
+	op->sym->m_src = m;
+
+	return op;
+}