diff --git a/security/integrity/ima/ima.h b/security/integrity/ima/ima.h
index d61680dcd365..8ee997dff139 100644
--- a/security/integrity/ima/ima.h
+++ b/security/integrity/ima/ima.h
@@ -43,6 +43,9 @@ enum tpm_pcrs { TPM_PCR0 = 0, TPM_PCR8 = 8 };
 #define IMA_TEMPLATE_IMA_NAME "ima"
 #define IMA_TEMPLATE_IMA_FMT "d|n"
 
+/* current content of the policy */
+extern int ima_policy_flag;
+
 /* set during initialization */
 extern int ima_initialized;
 extern int ima_used_chip;
@@ -153,6 +156,7 @@ int ima_match_policy(struct inode *inode, enum ima_hooks func, int mask,
 		     int flags);
 void ima_init_policy(void);
 void ima_update_policy(void);
+void ima_update_policy_flag(void);
 ssize_t ima_parse_add_rule(char *);
 void ima_delete_rules(void);
 
diff --git a/security/integrity/ima/ima_appraise.c b/security/integrity/ima/ima_appraise.c
index 2dc13fbb7e91..922685483bd3 100644
--- a/security/integrity/ima/ima_appraise.c
+++ b/security/integrity/ima/ima_appraise.c
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ void ima_inode_post_setattr(struct dentry *dentry)
 	struct integrity_iint_cache *iint;
 	int must_appraise, rc;
 
-	if (!ima_initialized || !ima_appraise || !S_ISREG(inode->i_mode)
+	if (!(ima_policy_flag & IMA_APPRAISE) || !S_ISREG(inode->i_mode)
 	    || !inode->i_op->removexattr)
 		return;
 
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ static void ima_reset_appraise_flags(struct inode *inode, int digsig)
 {
 	struct integrity_iint_cache *iint;
 
-	if (!ima_initialized || !ima_appraise || !S_ISREG(inode->i_mode))
+	if (!(ima_policy_flag & IMA_APPRAISE) || !S_ISREG(inode->i_mode))
 		return;
 
 	iint = integrity_iint_find(inode);
diff --git a/security/integrity/ima/ima_main.c b/security/integrity/ima/ima_main.c
index ed7d9fa4f536..2191b36ad1da 100644
--- a/security/integrity/ima/ima_main.c
+++ b/security/integrity/ima/ima_main.c
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ static void ima_rdwr_violation_check(struct file *file)
 	char *pathbuf = NULL;
 	const char *pathname;
 
-	if (!S_ISREG(inode->i_mode) || !ima_initialized)
+	if (!S_ISREG(inode->i_mode) || !(ima_policy_flag & IMA_MEASURE))
 		return;
 
 	if (mode & FMODE_WRITE) {
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ static int process_measurement(struct file *file, int mask, int function,
 	struct evm_ima_xattr_data *xattr_value = NULL, **xattr_ptr = NULL;
 	int xattr_len = 0;
 
-	if (!ima_initialized || !S_ISREG(inode->i_mode))
+	if (!ima_policy_flag || !S_ISREG(inode->i_mode))
 		return 0;
 
 	/* Return an IMA_MEASURE, IMA_APPRAISE, IMA_AUDIT action
@@ -334,8 +334,10 @@ static int __init init_ima(void)
 
 	hash_setup(CONFIG_IMA_DEFAULT_HASH);
 	error = ima_init();
-	if (!error)
+	if (!error) {
 		ima_initialized = 1;
+		ima_update_policy_flag();
+	}
 	return error;
 }
 
diff --git a/security/integrity/ima/ima_policy.c b/security/integrity/ima/ima_policy.c
index 07099a8bc283..cdc620b2152f 100644
--- a/security/integrity/ima/ima_policy.c
+++ b/security/integrity/ima/ima_policy.c
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@
 #define DONT_APPRAISE	0x0008
 #define AUDIT		0x0040
 
+int ima_policy_flag;
+
 #define MAX_LSM_RULES 6
 enum lsm_rule_types { LSM_OBJ_USER, LSM_OBJ_ROLE, LSM_OBJ_TYPE,
 	LSM_SUBJ_USER, LSM_SUBJ_ROLE, LSM_SUBJ_TYPE
@@ -295,6 +297,26 @@ int ima_match_policy(struct inode *inode, enum ima_hooks func, int mask,
 	return action;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Initialize the ima_policy_flag variable based on the currently
+ * loaded policy.  Based on this flag, the decision to short circuit
+ * out of a function or not call the function in the first place
+ * can be made earlier.
+ */
+void ima_update_policy_flag(void)
+{
+	struct ima_rule_entry *entry;
+
+	ima_policy_flag = 0;
+	list_for_each_entry(entry, ima_rules, list) {
+		if (entry->action & IMA_DO_MASK)
+			ima_policy_flag |= entry->action;
+	}
+
+	if (!ima_appraise)
+		ima_policy_flag &= ~IMA_APPRAISE;
+}
+
 /**
  * ima_init_policy - initialize the default measure rules.
  *
@@ -341,6 +363,7 @@ void ima_update_policy(void)
 
 	if (ima_rules == &ima_default_rules) {
 		ima_rules = &ima_policy_rules;
+		ima_update_policy_flag();
 		cause = "complete";
 		result = 0;
 	}