diff --git a/security/keys/gc.c b/security/keys/gc.c
index addf060399e09547307d9c023f36d8dbf869a931..9cb4fe4478a137e7bb3352ae958830657f6b5b7c 100644
--- a/security/keys/gc.c
+++ b/security/keys/gc.c
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ static unsigned long key_gc_flags;
  * immediately unlinked.
  */
 struct key_type key_type_dead = {
-	.name = "dead",
+	.name = ".dead",
 };
 
 /*
diff --git a/security/keys/keyctl.c b/security/keys/keyctl.c
index 52c34532c78562643fce84832a5b536baf84988b..4ad3212adebe8becc152f22d2448f8db4716146b 100644
--- a/security/keys/keyctl.c
+++ b/security/keys/keyctl.c
@@ -273,7 +273,8 @@ long keyctl_get_keyring_ID(key_serial_t id, int create)
  * Create and join an anonymous session keyring or join a named session
  * keyring, creating it if necessary.  A named session keyring must have Search
  * permission for it to be joined.  Session keyrings without this permit will
- * be skipped over.
+ * be skipped over.  It is not permitted for userspace to create or join
+ * keyrings whose name begin with a dot.
  *
  * If successful, the ID of the joined session keyring will be returned.
  */
@@ -290,12 +291,16 @@ long keyctl_join_session_keyring(const char __user *_name)
 			ret = PTR_ERR(name);
 			goto error;
 		}
+
+		ret = -EPERM;
+		if (name[0] == '.')
+			goto error_name;
 	}
 
 	/* join the session */
 	ret = join_session_keyring(name);
+error_name:
 	kfree(name);
-
 error:
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -1253,8 +1258,8 @@ long keyctl_reject_key(key_serial_t id, unsigned timeout, unsigned error,
  * Read or set the default keyring in which request_key() will cache keys and
  * return the old setting.
  *
- * If a process keyring is specified then this will be created if it doesn't
- * yet exist.  The old setting will be returned if successful.
+ * If a thread or process keyring is specified then it will be created if it
+ * doesn't yet exist.  The old setting will be returned if successful.
  */
 long keyctl_set_reqkey_keyring(int reqkey_defl)
 {
@@ -1279,11 +1284,8 @@ long keyctl_set_reqkey_keyring(int reqkey_defl)
 
 	case KEY_REQKEY_DEFL_PROCESS_KEYRING:
 		ret = install_process_keyring_to_cred(new);
-		if (ret < 0) {
-			if (ret != -EEXIST)
-				goto error;
-			ret = 0;
-		}
+		if (ret < 0)
+			goto error;
 		goto set;
 
 	case KEY_REQKEY_DEFL_DEFAULT:
diff --git a/security/keys/process_keys.c b/security/keys/process_keys.c
index b6fdd22205b169b663cdb00aecd5d214c7a376dd..9139b18fc863eb36d62d7777f1553dda63236dfe 100644
--- a/security/keys/process_keys.c
+++ b/security/keys/process_keys.c
@@ -128,13 +128,18 @@ int install_user_keyrings(void)
 }
 
 /*
- * Install a fresh thread keyring directly to new credentials.  This keyring is
- * allowed to overrun the quota.
+ * Install a thread keyring to the given credentials struct if it didn't have
+ * one already.  This is allowed to overrun the quota.
+ *
+ * Return: 0 if a thread keyring is now present; -errno on failure.
  */
 int install_thread_keyring_to_cred(struct cred *new)
 {
 	struct key *keyring;
 
+	if (new->thread_keyring)
+		return 0;
+
 	keyring = keyring_alloc("_tid", new->uid, new->gid, new,
 				KEY_POS_ALL | KEY_USR_VIEW,
 				KEY_ALLOC_QUOTA_OVERRUN,
@@ -147,7 +152,9 @@ int install_thread_keyring_to_cred(struct cred *new)
 }
 
 /*
- * Install a fresh thread keyring, discarding the old one.
+ * Install a thread keyring to the current task if it didn't have one already.
+ *
+ * Return: 0 if a thread keyring is now present; -errno on failure.
  */
 static int install_thread_keyring(void)
 {
@@ -158,8 +165,6 @@ static int install_thread_keyring(void)
 	if (!new)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
-	BUG_ON(new->thread_keyring);
-
 	ret = install_thread_keyring_to_cred(new);
 	if (ret < 0) {
 		abort_creds(new);
@@ -170,17 +175,17 @@ static int install_thread_keyring(void)
 }
 
 /*
- * Install a process keyring directly to a credentials struct.
+ * Install a process keyring to the given credentials struct if it didn't have
+ * one already.  This is allowed to overrun the quota.
  *
- * Returns -EEXIST if there was already a process keyring, 0 if one installed,
- * and other value on any other error
+ * Return: 0 if a process keyring is now present; -errno on failure.
  */
 int install_process_keyring_to_cred(struct cred *new)
 {
 	struct key *keyring;
 
 	if (new->process_keyring)
-		return -EEXIST;
+		return 0;
 
 	keyring = keyring_alloc("_pid", new->uid, new->gid, new,
 				KEY_POS_ALL | KEY_USR_VIEW,
@@ -194,11 +199,9 @@ int install_process_keyring_to_cred(struct cred *new)
 }
 
 /*
- * Make sure a process keyring is installed for the current process.  The
- * existing process keyring is not replaced.
+ * Install a process keyring to the current task if it didn't have one already.
  *
- * Returns 0 if there is a process keyring by the end of this function, some
- * error otherwise.
+ * Return: 0 if a process keyring is now present; -errno on failure.
  */
 static int install_process_keyring(void)
 {
@@ -212,14 +215,18 @@ static int install_process_keyring(void)
 	ret = install_process_keyring_to_cred(new);
 	if (ret < 0) {
 		abort_creds(new);
-		return ret != -EEXIST ? ret : 0;
+		return ret;
 	}
 
 	return commit_creds(new);
 }
 
 /*
- * Install a session keyring directly to a credentials struct.
+ * Install the given keyring as the session keyring of the given credentials
+ * struct, replacing the existing one if any.  If the given keyring is NULL,
+ * then install a new anonymous session keyring.
+ *
+ * Return: 0 on success; -errno on failure.
  */
 int install_session_keyring_to_cred(struct cred *cred, struct key *keyring)
 {
@@ -254,8 +261,11 @@ int install_session_keyring_to_cred(struct cred *cred, struct key *keyring)
 }
 
 /*
- * Install a session keyring, discarding the old one.  If a keyring is not
- * supplied, an empty one is invented.
+ * Install the given keyring as the session keyring of the current task,
+ * replacing the existing one if any.  If the given keyring is NULL, then
+ * install a new anonymous session keyring.
+ *
+ * Return: 0 on success; -errno on failure.
  */
 static int install_session_keyring(struct key *keyring)
 {