diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 34937adc5d..cf993f0c9c 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -1908,6 +1908,7 @@ virFileGetHugepageSize;
 virFileGetMountReverseSubtree;
 virFileGetMountSubtree;
 virFileGetXAttr;
+virFileGetXAttrQuiet;
 virFileInData;
 virFileIsAbsPath;
 virFileIsCDROM;
diff --git a/src/security/security_util.c b/src/security/security_util.c
index bfa78c6cca..f09a18a623 100644
--- a/src/security/security_util.c
+++ b/src/security/security_util.c
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ virSecurityGetRememberedLabel(const char *name,
     if (!(ref_name = virSecurityGetRefCountAttrName(name)))
         goto cleanup;
 
-    if (virFileGetXAttr(path, ref_name, &value) < 0) {
+    if (virFileGetXAttrQuiet(path, ref_name, &value) < 0) {
         if (errno == ENOSYS || errno == ENODATA || errno == ENOTSUP) {
             ret = 0;
         } else {
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ virSecuritySetRememberedLabel(const char *name,
     if (!(ref_name = virSecurityGetRefCountAttrName(name)))
         goto cleanup;
 
-    if (virFileGetXAttr(path, ref_name, &value) < 0) {
+    if (virFileGetXAttrQuiet(path, ref_name, &value) < 0) {
         if (errno == ENOSYS || errno == ENOTSUP) {
             ret = 0;
             goto cleanup;
diff --git a/src/util/virfile.c b/src/util/virfile.c
index f7415cf633..00f69dce69 100644
--- a/src/util/virfile.c
+++ b/src/util/virfile.c
@@ -4364,7 +4364,7 @@ virFileWaitForExists(const char *path,
 
 #if HAVE_LIBATTR
 /**
- * virFileGetXAttr;
+ * virFileGetXAttrQuiet;
  * @path: a filename
  * @name: name of xattr
  * @value: read value
@@ -4376,9 +4376,9 @@ virFileWaitForExists(const char *path,
  *         -1 otherwise (with errno set).
  */
 int
-virFileGetXAttr(const char *path,
-                const char *name,
-                char **value)
+virFileGetXAttrQuiet(const char *path,
+                     const char *name,
+                     char **value)
 {
     char *buf = NULL;
     int ret = -1;
@@ -4451,9 +4451,9 @@ virFileRemoveXAttr(const char *path,
 #else /* !HAVE_LIBATTR */
 
 int
-virFileGetXAttr(const char *path ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                const char *name ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                char **value ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
+virFileGetXAttrQuiet(const char *path ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                     const char *name ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                     char **value ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
 {
     errno = ENOSYS;
     return -1;
@@ -4477,3 +4477,31 @@ virFileRemoveXAttr(const char *path ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
 }
 
 #endif /* HAVE_LIBATTR */
+
+/**
+ * virFileGetXAttr;
+ * @path: a filename
+ * @name: name of xattr
+ * @value: read value
+ *
+ * Reads xattr with @name for given @path and stores it into
+ * @value. Caller is responsible for freeing @value.
+ *
+ * Returns: 0 on success,
+ *         -1 otherwise (with errno set AND error reported).
+ */
+int
+virFileGetXAttr(const char *path,
+                const char *name,
+                char **value)
+{
+    int ret;
+
+    if ((ret = virFileGetXAttrQuiet(path, name, value)) < 0) {
+        virReportSystemError(errno,
+                             _("Unable to get XATTR %s on %s"),
+                             name, path);
+    }
+
+    return ret;
+}
diff --git a/src/util/virfile.h b/src/util/virfile.h
index 094c92e2b9..c2d1b36c85 100644
--- a/src/util/virfile.h
+++ b/src/util/virfile.h
@@ -383,6 +383,11 @@ int virFileGetXAttr(const char *path,
                     char **value)
     ATTRIBUTE_NOINLINE;
 
+int virFileGetXAttrQuiet(const char *path,
+                         const char *name,
+                         char **value)
+    ATTRIBUTE_NOINLINE;
+
 int virFileSetXAttr(const char *path,
                     const char *name,
                     const char *value)
diff --git a/tests/qemusecuritymock.c b/tests/qemusecuritymock.c
index 815bd44d76..e219a9f023 100644
--- a/tests/qemusecuritymock.c
+++ b/tests/qemusecuritymock.c
@@ -126,9 +126,9 @@ get_key(const char *path,
 
 
 int
-virFileGetXAttr(const char *path,
-                const char *name,
-                char **value)
+virFileGetXAttrQuiet(const char *path,
+                     const char *name,
+                     char **value)
 {
     int ret = -1;
     char *key;