diff --git a/libcontainer/cgroups/fscommon/open.go b/libcontainer/cgroups/fscommon/open.go
index 90560f548d3..0680bd0f98b 100644
--- a/libcontainer/cgroups/fscommon/open.go
+++ b/libcontainer/cgroups/fscommon/open.go
@@ -2,16 +2,56 @@ package fscommon
 
 import (
 	"os"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
 
 	securejoin "github.com/cyphar/filepath-securejoin"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
+)
+
+const (
+	cgroupfsDir    = "/sys/fs/cgroup"
+	cgroupfsPrefix = cgroupfsDir + "/"
 )
 
 var (
 	// Set to true by fs unit tests
 	TestMode bool
+
+	cgroupFd     int = -1
+	prepOnce     sync.Once
+	prepErr      error
+	resolveFlags uint64
 )
 
+func prepareOpenat2() error {
+	prepOnce.Do(func() {
+		fd, err := unix.Openat2(-1, cgroupfsDir, &unix.OpenHow{Flags: unix.O_DIRECTORY | unix.O_PATH})
+		if err != nil {
+			prepErr = &os.PathError{Op: "openat2", Path: cgroupfsDir, Err: err}
+			return
+		}
+		var st unix.Statfs_t
+		if err = unix.Fstatfs(fd, &st); err != nil {
+			// XXX: make unix.ENOSYS a special case?
+			prepErr = &os.PathError{Op: "statfs", Path: cgroupfsDir, Err: err}
+			return
+		}
+
+		cgroupFd = fd
+
+		if st.Type == unix.CGROUP2_SUPER_MAGIC {
+			resolveFlags = unix.RESOLVE_NO_XDEV | unix.RESOLVE_NO_SYMLINKS
+		} else {
+			// cgroupfs v1 is a set of separate mounts
+			resolveFlags = unix.RESOLVE_BENEATH
+		}
+	})
+
+	return prepErr
+}
+
 // OpenFile opens a cgroup file in a given dir with given flags.
 // It is supposed to be used for cgroup files only.
 func OpenFile(dir, file string, flags int) (*os.File, error) {
@@ -24,6 +64,29 @@ func OpenFile(dir, file string, flags int) (*os.File, error) {
 		flags |= os.O_TRUNC | os.O_CREATE
 		mode = 0o600
 	}
+	reldir := strings.TrimPrefix(dir, cgroupfsPrefix)
+	if len(reldir) == len(dir) { // non-standard path, old system?
+		return openWithSecureJoin(dir, file, flags, mode)
+	}
+	if prepareOpenat2() != nil {
+		return openWithSecureJoin(dir, file, flags, mode)
+	}
+
+	relname := reldir + "/" + file
+	fd, err := unix.Openat2(cgroupFd, relname,
+		&unix.OpenHow{
+			Resolve: resolveFlags,
+			Flags:   uint64(flags) | unix.O_CLOEXEC,
+			Mode:    uint64(mode),
+		})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, &os.PathError{Op: "openat2", Path: dir + "/" + file, Err: err}
+	}
+
+	return os.NewFile(uintptr(fd), cgroupfsPrefix+relname), nil
+}
+
+func openWithSecureJoin(dir, file string, flags int, mode os.FileMode) (*os.File, error) {
 	path, err := securejoin.SecureJoin(dir, file)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err