diff --git a/include/linux/audit.h b/include/linux/audit.h
index 8c66fc248c75..26408934ef2d 100644
--- a/include/linux/audit.h
+++ b/include/linux/audit.h
@@ -452,6 +452,11 @@ struct audit_field {
 extern int __init audit_register_class(int class, unsigned *list);
 extern int audit_classify_syscall(int abi, unsigned syscall);
 extern int audit_classify_arch(int arch);
+
+/* audit_names->type values */
+#define	AUDIT_TYPE_UNKNOWN	0	/* we don't know yet */
+#define	AUDIT_TYPE_NORMAL	1	/* a "normal" audit record */
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_AUDITSYSCALL
 /* These are defined in auditsc.c */
 				/* Public API */
diff --git a/kernel/auditsc.c b/kernel/auditsc.c
index 40743af02d8f..19b232f86d70 100644
--- a/kernel/auditsc.c
+++ b/kernel/auditsc.c
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ struct audit_names {
 	struct audit_cap_data fcap;
 	unsigned int	fcap_ver;
 	int		name_len;	/* number of name's characters to log */
+	unsigned char	type;		/* record type */
 	bool		name_put;	/* call __putname() for this name */
 	/*
 	 * This was an allocated audit_names and not from the array of
@@ -1995,7 +1996,8 @@ static void handle_path(const struct dentry *dentry)
 #endif
 }
 
-static struct audit_names *audit_alloc_name(struct audit_context *context)
+static struct audit_names *audit_alloc_name(struct audit_context *context,
+						unsigned char type)
 {
 	struct audit_names *aname;
 
@@ -2010,6 +2012,7 @@ static struct audit_names *audit_alloc_name(struct audit_context *context)
 	}
 
 	aname->ino = (unsigned long)-1;
+	aname->type = type;
 	list_add_tail(&aname->list, &context->names_list);
 
 	context->name_count++;
@@ -2040,7 +2043,7 @@ void __audit_getname(const char *name)
 		return;
 	}
 
-	n = audit_alloc_name(context);
+	n = audit_alloc_name(context, AUDIT_TYPE_UNKNOWN);
 	if (!n)
 		return;
 
@@ -2157,12 +2160,13 @@ void __audit_inode(const char *name, const struct dentry *dentry)
 
 out_alloc:
 	/* unable to find the name from a previous getname() */
-	n = audit_alloc_name(context);
+	n = audit_alloc_name(context, AUDIT_TYPE_NORMAL);
 	if (!n)
 		return;
 out:
 	handle_path(dentry);
 	audit_copy_inode(n, dentry, inode);
+	n->type = AUDIT_TYPE_NORMAL;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -2219,6 +2223,7 @@ void __audit_inode_child(const struct inode *parent,
 				audit_copy_inode(n, dentry, inode);
 			else
 				n->ino = (unsigned long)-1;
+			n->type = AUDIT_TYPE_NORMAL;
 			found_child = n->name;
 			goto add_names;
 		}
@@ -2226,14 +2231,14 @@ void __audit_inode_child(const struct inode *parent,
 
 add_names:
 	if (!found_parent) {
-		n = audit_alloc_name(context);
+		n = audit_alloc_name(context, AUDIT_TYPE_NORMAL);
 		if (!n)
 			return;
 		audit_copy_inode(n, NULL, parent);
 	}
 
 	if (!found_child) {
-		n = audit_alloc_name(context);
+		n = audit_alloc_name(context, AUDIT_TYPE_NORMAL);
 		if (!n)
 			return;