diff --git a/meta/recipes-kernel/make-mod-scripts/make-mod-scripts_1.0.bb b/meta/recipes-kernel/make-mod-scripts/make-mod-scripts_1.0.bb
index 28e0807d1d..1c972f0d44 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-kernel/make-mod-scripts/make-mod-scripts_1.0.bb
+++ b/meta/recipes-kernel/make-mod-scripts/make-mod-scripts_1.0.bb
@@ -10,25 +10,49 @@ PACKAGE_ARCH = "${MACHINE_ARCH}"
 
 S = "${WORKDIR}"
 
-do_configure[depends] += "virtual/kernel:do_shared_workdir openssl-native:do_populate_sysroot"
+# zlib is required when module signing is enabled
+do_configure[depends] += "virtual/kernel:do_shared_workdir openssl-native:do_populate_sysroot zlib-native:do_populate_sysroot"
 do_compile[depends] += "virtual/kernel:do_compile_kernelmodules"
 
 DEV_PKG_DEPENDENCY = ""
 
 DEPENDS += "bc-native bison-native"
 DEPENDS += "gmp-native"
+# required for module signing support
+DEPENDS += "elfutils-native"
 
-EXTRA_OEMAKE = " HOSTCC="${BUILD_CC} ${BUILD_CFLAGS} ${BUILD_LDFLAGS}" HOSTCPP="${BUILD_CPP}""
-EXTRA_OEMAKE += " HOSTCXX="${BUILD_CXX} ${BUILD_CXXFLAGS} ${BUILD_LDFLAGS}" CROSS_COMPILE=${TARGET_PREFIX}"
+# we are statically building the support tools, since the output of the build is
+# stored in STAGING_KERNEL_BUILDDIR. We do not want any dynamic references to
+# libraries that are only present in the recipe native sysroot
+EXTRA_OEMAKE = " HOSTCC="${BUILD_CC} ${BUILD_CFLAGS} ${BUILD_LDFLAGS} -static" HOSTCPP="${BUILD_CPP}""
+EXTRA_OEMAKE += " HOSTCXX="${BUILD_CXX} ${BUILD_CXXFLAGS} ${BUILD_LDFLAGS} -static" CROSS_COMPILE=${TARGET_PREFIX}"
 
 # Build some host tools under work-shared.  CC, LD, and AR are probably
 # not used, but this is the historical way of invoking "make scripts".
 #
 do_configure() {
+	# setup native pkg-config variables, HOSTPKG_CONFIG is available in newer kernels
+	# but we keep these to support older kernels that may not have the variable to
+	# abstract calls to pkg-config
+	export PKG_CONFIG_DIR="${STAGING_DIR_NATIVE}${libdir_native}/pkgconfig"
+	export PKG_CONFIG_PATH="$PKG_CONFIG_DIR:${STAGING_DATADIR_NATIVE}/pkgconfig"
+	export PKG_CONFIG_LIBDIR="$PKG_CONFIG_DIR"
+	export PKG_CONFIG_SYSROOT_DIR=""
+
+	# override CRYPTO_LIBS to support older kernels without HOSTPKG_CONFIG
+	CRYPTO_LIBS="$(pkg-config --static --libs libcrypto 2>/dev/null || echo -lcrypto)"
+
+	# for pre-5.15 kernels
+	LIBELF_LIBS=$(pkg-config --static libelf --libs 2>/dev/null || echo -lelf)
+	export LIBELF_LIBS="$LIBELF_LIBS -lz"
+	export HOSTLDFLAGS="-lz"
+
 	unset CFLAGS CPPFLAGS CXXFLAGS LDFLAGS
 	for t in prepare scripts_basic scripts; do
 		oe_runmake CC="${KERNEL_CC}" LD="${KERNEL_LD}" \
 		AR="${KERNEL_AR}" OBJCOPY="${KERNEL_OBJCOPY}" \
+		HOSTPKG_CONFIG="pkg-config --static" \
+		CRYPTO_LIBS="${CRYPTO_LIBS}" \
 		-C ${STAGING_KERNEL_DIR} O=${STAGING_KERNEL_BUILDDIR} $t
 	done
 }