diff --git a/grub-core/net/drivers/efi/efinet.c b/grub-core/net/drivers/efi/efinet.c
index 73343d26d..5adf5f40f 100644
--- a/grub-core/net/drivers/efi/efinet.c
+++ b/grub-core/net/drivers/efi/efinet.c
@@ -320,7 +320,15 @@ grub_efinet_findcards (void)
 
       card->name = grub_xasprintf ("efinet%d", i++);
       card->driver = &efidriver;
-      card->flags = 0;
+      /*
+       * EFI network devices are abstract SNP protocol instances, and the
+       * firmware is in charge of ensuring that they will be torn down when the
+       * OS loader hands off to the OS proper. Closing them as part of the
+       * preboot cleanup is therefore unnecessary, and undesirable, as it
+       * prevents us from using the network connection in a protocal callback
+       * such as LoadFile2 for initrd loading.
+       */
+      card->flags = GRUB_NET_CARD_NO_CLOSE_ON_FINI_HW;
       card->default_address.type = GRUB_NET_LINK_LEVEL_PROTOCOL_ETHERNET;
       grub_memcpy (card->default_address.mac,
 		   net->mode->current_address,
diff --git a/grub-core/net/net.c b/grub-core/net/net.c
index 064e7114e..7046dc578 100644
--- a/grub-core/net/net.c
+++ b/grub-core/net/net.c
@@ -1787,7 +1787,7 @@ grub_net_fini_hw (int noreturn __attribute__ ((unused)))
 {
   struct grub_net_card *card;
   FOR_NET_CARDS (card)
-    if (card->opened)
+    if (card->opened && !(card->flags & GRUB_NET_CARD_NO_CLOSE_ON_FINI_HW))
       {
 	if (card->driver->close)
 	  card->driver->close (card);
diff --git a/include/grub/net.h b/include/grub/net.h
index a64a04cc8..79cba357a 100644
--- a/include/grub/net.h
+++ b/include/grub/net.h
@@ -64,7 +64,8 @@ typedef enum grub_net_interface_flags
 typedef enum grub_net_card_flags
   {
     GRUB_NET_CARD_HWADDRESS_IMMUTABLE = 1,
-    GRUB_NET_CARD_NO_MANUAL_INTERFACES = 2
+    GRUB_NET_CARD_NO_MANUAL_INTERFACES = 2,
+    GRUB_NET_CARD_NO_CLOSE_ON_FINI_HW = 4
   } grub_net_card_flags_t;
 
 struct grub_net_card;