diff --git a/tools/perf/util/header.c b/tools/perf/util/header.c
index 3e2c156d9c64d3184d1eb90d045034bd83cc840f..76442caca37ea8adff6fa16b8968c6f8c3229112 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/header.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/header.c
@@ -1269,7 +1269,7 @@ static int __event_process_build_id(struct build_id_event *bev,
 
 		dso__set_build_id(dso, &bev->build_id);
 
-		if (filename[0] == '[')
+		if (!is_kernel_module(filename, NULL))
 			dso->kernel = dso_type;
 
 		build_id__sprintf(dso->build_id, sizeof(dso->build_id),
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/machine.c b/tools/perf/util/machine.c
index 946c7d62cb6ed1e8b71193f817ca9b70b1f53037..53f90e9c65fe3c4e306914c971420b67645cc603 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/machine.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/machine.c
@@ -1085,8 +1085,20 @@ static int machine__process_kernel_mmap_event(struct machine *machine,
 		 * Should be there already, from the build-id table in
 		 * the header.
 		 */
-		struct dso *kernel = __dsos__findnew(&machine->kernel_dsos,
-						     kmmap_prefix);
+		struct dso *kernel = NULL;
+		struct dso *dso;
+
+		list_for_each_entry(dso, &machine->kernel_dsos.head, node) {
+			if (is_kernel_module(dso->long_name, NULL))
+				continue;
+
+			kernel = dso;
+			break;
+		}
+
+		if (kernel == NULL)
+			kernel = __dsos__findnew(&machine->kernel_dsos,
+						 kmmap_prefix);
 		if (kernel == NULL)
 			goto out_problem;