diff --git a/arch/x86/core/Kconfig b/arch/x86/core/Kconfig
index 43eff44eef1..e059d4a6e28 100644
--- a/arch/x86/core/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/x86/core/Kconfig
@@ -92,9 +92,21 @@ config ROM_SIZE
 
 	The default value is specified by the platform.
 
+config SET_GDT
+	bool
+	prompt "Setup GDT as part of boot process"
+	default y
+	help
+	This option sets up the GDT as part of the boot process. However,
+	this may conflict with some security scenarios where the GDT is
+	already appropriately set by an earlier bootloader stage, in which
+	case this should be disabled. If disabled, the global _gdt pointer
+	will not be available.
+
 config GDT_DYNAMIC
 	bool
 	prompt "Store GDT in RAM so that it can be modified"
+	depends on SET_GDT
 	default n
 	help
 	This option stores the GDT in RAM instead of ROM, so that it may
diff --git a/arch/x86/core/crt0.S b/arch/x86/core/crt0.S
index 8fb6f17c876..ca2f19b4e25 100644
--- a/arch/x86/core/crt0.S
+++ b/arch/x86/core/crt0.S
@@ -89,8 +89,9 @@ SECTION_FUNC(TEXT_START, __start)
 	 * and a Global Descriptor Table (GDT), the specification encourages
 	 * booted operating systems to setup their own IDT and GDT.
 	 */
-
+#if CONFIG_SET_GDT
 	lgdt	_gdt_rom		/* load 32-bit operand size GDT */
+#endif
 	lidt	_Idt		/* load 32-bit operand size IDT */
 
 
@@ -358,7 +359,7 @@ _Idt:
 	.long	-(0x1BADB002 + 0)
 #endif /* CONFIG_BOOTLOADER_UNKNOWN */
 
-
+#ifdef CONFIG_SET_GDT
 #ifndef CONFIG_GDT_DYNAMIC
 _gdt:
 #endif
@@ -414,3 +415,4 @@ _gdt_rom_entries:
 	.byte   0x00		/* base : 00xxxxxx */
 
 _gdt_rom_end:
+#endif
diff --git a/arch/x86/include/gdt.h b/arch/x86/include/gdt.h
index c0bc27b8518..3ebf9b24485 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/gdt.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/gdt.h
@@ -63,10 +63,12 @@ typedef struct __packed s_gdtHeader
 
 /* externs */
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_SET_GDT
 /* This is either the ROM-based GDT in crt0.S or RAM-based in gdt.c,
  * depending on CONFIG_GDT_DYNAMIC
  */
 extern tGdtHeader _gdt;
+#endif
 
 #endif /* _ASMLANGUAGE */