diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
index 1df7f850ff3bb..e523d600da4e8 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
@@ -251,8 +251,12 @@ static inline int ovl_do_setxattr(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *dentry,
 				  const char *name, const void *value,
 				  size_t size, int flags)
 {
-	int err = vfs_setxattr(ovl_upper_mnt_userns(ofs), dentry, name,
-			       value, size, flags);
+	struct inode *inode = dentry->d_inode;
+	int err;
+
+	inode_lock(inode);
+	err = __vfs_setxattr_noperm(&init_user_ns, dentry, name, value, size, flags);
+	inode_unlock(inode);
 
 	pr_debug("setxattr(%pd2, \"%s\", \"%*pE\", %zu, %d) = %i\n",
 		 dentry, name, min((int)size, 48), value, size, flags, err);
@@ -269,7 +273,13 @@ static inline int ovl_setxattr(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *dentry,
 static inline int ovl_do_removexattr(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *dentry,
 				     const char *name)
 {
-	int err = vfs_removexattr(ovl_upper_mnt_userns(ofs), dentry, name);
+	struct inode *inode = dentry->d_inode;
+	int err;
+
+	inode_lock(inode);
+	err = __vfs_removexattr_noperm(&init_user_ns, dentry, name);
+	inode_unlock(inode);
+
 	pr_debug("removexattr(%pd2, \"%s\") = %i\n", dentry, name, err);
 	return err;
 }
diff --git a/fs/xattr.c b/fs/xattr.c
index adab9a70b5368..76dc91ec7ae84 100644
--- a/fs/xattr.c
+++ b/fs/xattr.c
@@ -259,6 +259,7 @@ int __vfs_setxattr_noperm(struct user_namespace *mnt_userns,
 
 	return error;
 }
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(__vfs_setxattr_noperm);
 
 /**
  * __vfs_setxattr_locked - set an extended attribute while holding the inode
@@ -499,6 +500,34 @@ __vfs_removexattr(struct user_namespace *mnt_userns, struct dentry *dentry,
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(__vfs_removexattr);
 
+/**
+ *  __vfs_removexattr_noperm - perform removexattr operation without
+ *  performing permission checks.
+ *
+ *  @dentry - object to perform setxattr on
+ *  @name - xattr name to set
+ *
+ *  returns the result of the internal setxattr or setsecurity operations.
+ *
+ *  This function requires the caller to lock the inode's i_mutex before it
+ *  is executed. It also assumes that the caller will make the appropriate
+ *  permission checks.
+ */
+int
+__vfs_removexattr_noperm(struct user_namespace *mnt_userns,
+			 struct dentry *dentry, const char *name)
+{
+	int error;
+
+	error =__vfs_removexattr(mnt_userns, dentry, name);
+	if (!error) {
+		fsnotify_xattr(dentry);
+		evm_inode_post_removexattr(dentry, name);
+	}
+	return error;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(__vfs_removexattr_noperm);
+
 /**
  * __vfs_removexattr_locked - set an extended attribute while holding the inode
  * lock
@@ -529,12 +558,7 @@ __vfs_removexattr_locked(struct user_namespace *mnt_userns,
 	if (error)
 		goto out;
 
-	error = __vfs_removexattr(mnt_userns, dentry, name);
-
-	if (!error) {
-		fsnotify_xattr(dentry);
-		evm_inode_post_removexattr(dentry, name);
-	}
+	error = __vfs_removexattr_noperm(mnt_userns, dentry, name);
 
 out:
 	return error;
diff --git a/include/linux/xattr.h b/include/linux/xattr.h
index 2e7dd44926e4a..149b148625da4 100644
--- a/include/linux/xattr.h
+++ b/include/linux/xattr.h
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ int __vfs_setxattr_locked(struct user_namespace *, struct dentry *,
 int vfs_setxattr(struct user_namespace *, struct dentry *, const char *,
 		 const void *, size_t, int);
 int __vfs_removexattr(struct user_namespace *, struct dentry *, const char *);
+int __vfs_removexattr_noperm(struct user_namespace *, struct dentry *, const char *);
 int __vfs_removexattr_locked(struct user_namespace *, struct dentry *,
 			     const char *, struct inode **);
 int vfs_removexattr(struct user_namespace *, struct dentry *, const char *);