diff --git a/include/linux/pid_namespace.h b/include/linux/pid_namespace.h
index 53974d79d98e..f9f9931e02d6 100644
--- a/include/linux/pid_namespace.h
+++ b/include/linux/pid_namespace.h
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ struct pid_namespace {
 	int reboot;	/* group exit code if this pidns was rebooted */
 	struct ns_common ns;
 #if defined(CONFIG_SYSCTL) && defined(CONFIG_MEMFD_CREATE)
-	/* sysctl for vm.memfd_noexec */
 	int memfd_noexec_scope;
 #endif
 } __randomize_layout;
@@ -56,6 +55,23 @@ static inline struct pid_namespace *get_pid_ns(struct pid_namespace *ns)
 	return ns;
 }
 
+#if defined(CONFIG_SYSCTL) && defined(CONFIG_MEMFD_CREATE)
+static inline int pidns_memfd_noexec_scope(struct pid_namespace *ns)
+{
+	int scope = MEMFD_NOEXEC_SCOPE_EXEC;
+
+	for (; ns; ns = ns->parent)
+		scope = max(scope, READ_ONCE(ns->memfd_noexec_scope));
+
+	return scope;
+}
+#else
+static inline int pidns_memfd_noexec_scope(struct pid_namespace *ns)
+{
+	return 0;
+}
+#endif
+
 extern struct pid_namespace *copy_pid_ns(unsigned long flags,
 	struct user_namespace *user_ns, struct pid_namespace *ns);
 extern void zap_pid_ns_processes(struct pid_namespace *pid_ns);
@@ -70,6 +86,11 @@ static inline struct pid_namespace *get_pid_ns(struct pid_namespace *ns)
 	return ns;
 }
 
+static inline int pidns_memfd_noexec_scope(struct pid_namespace *ns)
+{
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static inline struct pid_namespace *copy_pid_ns(unsigned long flags,
 	struct user_namespace *user_ns, struct pid_namespace *ns)
 {
diff --git a/kernel/pid.c b/kernel/pid.c
index 6a1d23a11026..fee14a4486a3 100644
--- a/kernel/pid.c
+++ b/kernel/pid.c
@@ -83,6 +83,9 @@ struct pid_namespace init_pid_ns = {
 #ifdef CONFIG_PID_NS
 	.ns.ops = &pidns_operations,
 #endif
+#if defined(CONFIG_SYSCTL) && defined(CONFIG_MEMFD_CREATE)
+	.memfd_noexec_scope = MEMFD_NOEXEC_SCOPE_EXEC,
+#endif
 };
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(init_pid_ns);
 
diff --git a/kernel/pid_namespace.c b/kernel/pid_namespace.c
index 0bf44afe04dd..619972c78774 100644
--- a/kernel/pid_namespace.c
+++ b/kernel/pid_namespace.c
@@ -110,9 +110,9 @@ static struct pid_namespace *create_pid_namespace(struct user_namespace *user_ns
 	ns->user_ns = get_user_ns(user_ns);
 	ns->ucounts = ucounts;
 	ns->pid_allocated = PIDNS_ADDING;
-
-	initialize_memfd_noexec_scope(ns);
-
+#if defined(CONFIG_SYSCTL) && defined(CONFIG_MEMFD_CREATE)
+	ns->memfd_noexec_scope = pidns_memfd_noexec_scope(parent_pid_ns);
+#endif
 	return ns;
 
 out_free_idr:
diff --git a/kernel/pid_sysctl.h b/kernel/pid_sysctl.h
index b26e027fc9cd..2ee41a3a1dfd 100644
--- a/kernel/pid_sysctl.h
+++ b/kernel/pid_sysctl.h
@@ -5,33 +5,30 @@
 #include <linux/pid_namespace.h>
 
 #if defined(CONFIG_SYSCTL) && defined(CONFIG_MEMFD_CREATE)
-static inline void initialize_memfd_noexec_scope(struct pid_namespace *ns)
-{
-	ns->memfd_noexec_scope =
-		task_active_pid_ns(current)->memfd_noexec_scope;
-}
-
 static int pid_mfd_noexec_dointvec_minmax(struct ctl_table *table,
 	int write, void *buf, size_t *lenp, loff_t *ppos)
 {
 	struct pid_namespace *ns = task_active_pid_ns(current);
 	struct ctl_table table_copy;
+	int err, scope, parent_scope;
 
 	if (write && !ns_capable(ns->user_ns, CAP_SYS_ADMIN))
 		return -EPERM;
 
 	table_copy = *table;
-	if (ns != &init_pid_ns)
-		table_copy.data = &ns->memfd_noexec_scope;
 
-	/*
-	 * set minimum to current value, the effect is only bigger
-	 * value is accepted.
-	 */
-	if (*(int *)table_copy.data > *(int *)table_copy.extra1)
-		table_copy.extra1 = table_copy.data;
+	/* You cannot set a lower enforcement value than your parent. */
+	parent_scope = pidns_memfd_noexec_scope(ns->parent);
+	/* Equivalent to pidns_memfd_noexec_scope(ns). */
+	scope = max(READ_ONCE(ns->memfd_noexec_scope), parent_scope);
 
-	return proc_dointvec_minmax(&table_copy, write, buf, lenp, ppos);
+	table_copy.data = &scope;
+	table_copy.extra1 = &parent_scope;
+
+	err = proc_dointvec_minmax(&table_copy, write, buf, lenp, ppos);
+	if (!err && write)
+		WRITE_ONCE(ns->memfd_noexec_scope, scope);
+	return err;
 }
 
 static struct ctl_table pid_ns_ctl_table_vm[] = {
@@ -51,7 +48,6 @@ static inline void register_pid_ns_sysctl_table_vm(void)
 	register_sysctl("vm", pid_ns_ctl_table_vm);
 }
 #else
-static inline void initialize_memfd_noexec_scope(struct pid_namespace *ns) {}
 static inline void register_pid_ns_sysctl_table_vm(void) {}
 #endif
 
diff --git a/mm/memfd.c b/mm/memfd.c
index aa46521057ab..1cad1904fc26 100644
--- a/mm/memfd.c
+++ b/mm/memfd.c
@@ -271,7 +271,8 @@ long memfd_fcntl(struct file *file, unsigned int cmd, unsigned int arg)
 static int check_sysctl_memfd_noexec(unsigned int *flags)
 {
 #ifdef CONFIG_SYSCTL
-	int sysctl = task_active_pid_ns(current)->memfd_noexec_scope;
+	struct pid_namespace *ns = task_active_pid_ns(current);
+	int sysctl = pidns_memfd_noexec_scope(ns);
 
 	if (!(*flags & (MFD_EXEC | MFD_NOEXEC_SEAL))) {
 		if (sysctl >= MEMFD_NOEXEC_SCOPE_NOEXEC_SEAL)