diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 92681fc1b..cc25bb1a2 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -516,9 +516,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "linux-loader"
-version = "0.3.0"
+version = "0.4.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "c819cc8275b0f2c1ed9feec455ca288b45d82932384a6a5f7a86812ee3427459"
+checksum = "8a5e77493808403a6bd56a301a64ea6b9342e36ea845044bf0dfdf56fe52fa08"
 dependencies = [
  "vm-memory",
 ]
diff --git a/arch/Cargo.toml b/arch/Cargo.toml
index b4cc4de9f..238cc1f52 100644
--- a/arch/Cargo.toml
+++ b/arch/Cargo.toml
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ anyhow = "1.0.44"
 byteorder = "1.4.3"
 hypervisor = { path = "../hypervisor" }
 libc = "0.2.102"
-linux-loader = { version = "0.3.0", features = ["elf", "bzimage", "pe"] }
+linux-loader = { version = "0.4.0", features = ["elf", "bzimage", "pe"] }
 log = "0.4.14"
 serde = { version = "1.0.130", features = ["rc"] }
 thiserror = "1.0.29"
diff --git a/arch/src/aarch64/fdt.rs b/arch/src/aarch64/fdt.rs
index 1b7165ff9..77863b1c9 100644
--- a/arch/src/aarch64/fdt.rs
+++ b/arch/src/aarch64/fdt.rs
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ type Result<T> = result::Result<T, Error>;
 #[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
 pub fn create_fdt<T: DeviceInfoForFdt + Clone + Debug, S: ::std::hash::BuildHasher>(
     guest_mem: &GuestMemoryMmap,
-    cmdline: &CStr,
+    cmdline: &str,
     vcpu_mpidr: Vec<u64>,
     vcpu_topology: Option<(u8, u8, u8)>,
     device_info: &HashMap<(DeviceType, String), T, S>,
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ pub fn create_fdt<T: DeviceInfoForFdt + Clone + Debug, S: ::std::hash::BuildHash
     fdt.property_u32("interrupt-parent", GIC_PHANDLE)?;
     create_cpu_nodes(&mut fdt, &vcpu_mpidr, vcpu_topology, numa_nodes)?;
     create_memory_node(&mut fdt, guest_mem, numa_nodes)?;
-    create_chosen_node(&mut fdt, cmdline.to_str().unwrap(), initrd)?;
+    create_chosen_node(&mut fdt, cmdline, initrd)?;
     create_gic_node(&mut fdt, gic_device)?;
     create_timer_node(&mut fdt)?;
     create_clock_node(&mut fdt)?;
diff --git a/arch/src/aarch64/mod.rs b/arch/src/aarch64/mod.rs
index 16b6cec17..3054c68b7 100644
--- a/arch/src/aarch64/mod.rs
+++ b/arch/src/aarch64/mod.rs
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ use gic::GicDevice;
 use log::{log_enabled, Level};
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::convert::TryInto;
-use std::ffi::CStr;
 use std::fmt::Debug;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use vm_memory::{
@@ -136,7 +135,7 @@ pub fn arch_memory_regions(size: GuestUsize) -> Vec<(GuestAddress, usize, Region
 #[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
 pub fn configure_system<T: DeviceInfoForFdt + Clone + Debug, S: ::std::hash::BuildHasher>(
     guest_mem: &GuestMemoryMmap,
-    cmdline_cstring: &CStr,
+    cmdline: &str,
     vcpu_mpidr: Vec<u64>,
     vcpu_topology: Option<(u8, u8, u8)>,
     device_info: &HashMap<(DeviceType, String), T, S>,
@@ -148,7 +147,7 @@ pub fn configure_system<T: DeviceInfoForFdt + Clone + Debug, S: ::std::hash::Bui
 ) -> super::Result<()> {
     let fdt_final = fdt::create_fdt(
         guest_mem,
-        cmdline_cstring,
+        cmdline,
         vcpu_mpidr,
         vcpu_topology,
         device_info,
diff --git a/vmm/Cargo.toml b/vmm/Cargo.toml
index e3760478c..b61ccdd9b 100644
--- a/vmm/Cargo.toml
+++ b/vmm/Cargo.toml
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ event_monitor = { path = "../event_monitor" }
 hypervisor = { path = "../hypervisor" }
 lazy_static = "1.4.0"
 libc = "0.2.102"
-linux-loader = { version = "0.3.0", features = ["elf", "bzimage", "pe"] }
+linux-loader = { version = "0.4.0", features = ["elf", "bzimage", "pe"] }
 log = "0.4.14"
 micro_http = { git = "https://github.com/firecracker-microvm/micro-http", branch = "main" }
 net_util = { path = "../net_util" }
diff --git a/vmm/src/vm.rs b/vmm/src/vm.rs
index 81d99d87e..cae848978 100644
--- a/vmm/src/vm.rs
+++ b/vmm/src/vm.rs
@@ -53,7 +53,6 @@ use std::cmp;
 use std::collections::BTreeMap;
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::convert::TryInto;
-use std::ffi::CString;
 #[cfg(target_arch = "x86_64")]
 use std::fmt;
 use std::fs::{File, OpenOptions};
@@ -112,9 +111,6 @@ pub enum Error {
     /// Cannot modify the command line
     CmdLineInsertStr(linux_loader::cmdline::Error),
 
-    /// Cannot convert command line into CString
-    CmdLineCString(std::ffi::NulError),
-
     /// Cannot configure system
     ConfigureSystem(arch::Error),
 
@@ -935,7 +931,7 @@ impl Vm {
         Ok(arch::InitramfsConfig { address, size })
     }
 
-    fn get_cmdline(&mut self) -> Result<CString> {
+    fn get_cmdline(&mut self) -> Result<Cmdline> {
         let mut cmdline = Cmdline::new(arch::CMDLINE_MAX_SIZE);
         cmdline
             .insert_str(self.config.lock().unwrap().cmdline.args.clone())
@@ -943,7 +939,7 @@ impl Vm {
         for entry in self.device_manager.lock().unwrap().cmdline_additions() {
             cmdline.insert_str(entry).map_err(Error::CmdLineInsertStr)?;
         }
-        CString::new(cmdline).map_err(Error::CmdLineCString)
+        Ok(cmdline)
     }
 
     #[cfg(target_arch = "aarch64")]
@@ -988,7 +984,7 @@ impl Vm {
     #[cfg(target_arch = "x86_64")]
     fn load_kernel(&mut self) -> Result<EntryPoint> {
         info!("Loading kernel");
-        let cmdline_cstring = self.get_cmdline()?;
+        let cmdline = self.get_cmdline()?;
         let guest_memory = self.memory_manager.lock().as_ref().unwrap().guest_memory();
         let mem = guest_memory.memory();
         let mut kernel = self.kernel.as_ref().unwrap();
@@ -1004,12 +1000,8 @@ impl Vm {
             }
         };
 
-        linux_loader::loader::load_cmdline(
-            mem.deref(),
-            arch::layout::CMDLINE_START,
-            &cmdline_cstring,
-        )
-        .map_err(Error::LoadCmdLine)?;
+        linux_loader::loader::load_cmdline(mem.deref(), arch::layout::CMDLINE_START, &cmdline)
+            .map_err(Error::LoadCmdLine)?;
 
         if let PvhEntryPresent(entry_addr) = entry_addr.pvh_boot_cap {
             // Use the PVH kernel entry point to boot the guest
@@ -1072,7 +1064,7 @@ impl Vm {
 
     #[cfg(target_arch = "aarch64")]
     fn configure_system(&mut self) -> Result<()> {
-        let cmdline_cstring = self.get_cmdline()?;
+        let cmdline = self.get_cmdline()?;
         let vcpu_mpidrs = self.cpu_manager.lock().unwrap().get_mpidrs();
         let vcpu_topology = self.cpu_manager.lock().unwrap().get_vcpu_topology();
         let mem = self.memory_manager.lock().unwrap().boot_guest_memory();
@@ -1138,7 +1130,7 @@ impl Vm {
 
         arch::configure_system(
             &mem,
-            &cmdline_cstring,
+            cmdline.as_str(),
             vcpu_mpidrs,
             vcpu_topology,
             device_info,
@@ -2617,7 +2609,7 @@ mod tests {
         let gic = create_gic(&vm, 1).unwrap();
         assert!(create_fdt(
             &mem,
-            &CString::new("console=tty0").unwrap(),
+            "console=tty0",
             vec![0],
             Some((0, 0, 0)),
             &dev_info,