diff --git a/fs/backing-file.c b/fs/backing-file.c
index ad573f5153c7..5780f60662d0 100644
--- a/fs/backing-file.c
+++ b/fs/backing-file.c
@@ -55,6 +55,17 @@ struct file *backing_file_open(const struct file *user_file, int flags,
 	if (IS_ERR(f))
 		return f;
 
+	/*
+	 * A user file that must not generate fsnotify events (e.g. the fd
+	 * that fanotify creates for a permission event with
+	 * dentry_open_nonotify()) must not generate them through its backing
+	 * file either. Otherwise a listener watching the backing filesystem
+	 * gets a nested permission event from its own read(2), which only
+	 * another reader of the same group can answer.
+	 */
+	if (FMODE_FSNOTIFY_NONE(user_file->f_mode))
+		file_set_fsnotify_mode(f, FMODE_NONOTIFY);
+
 	path_get(user_path);
 	backing_file_set_user_path(f, user_path);
 	error = vfs_open(real_path, f);