diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/vm/.gitignore b/tools/testing/selftests/vm/.gitignore
index 8a536c731e3c..ee8c41c998e6 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/vm/.gitignore
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/vm/.gitignore
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
-anon_cow
+cow
 hugepage-mmap
 hugepage-mremap
 hugepage-shm
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/vm/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/vm/Makefile
index 0986bd60c19f..89c14e41bd43 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/vm/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/vm/Makefile
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ MAKEFLAGS += --no-builtin-rules
 
 CFLAGS = -Wall -I $(top_srcdir) -I $(top_srcdir)/usr/include $(EXTRA_CFLAGS) $(KHDR_INCLUDES)
 LDLIBS = -lrt -lpthread
-TEST_GEN_FILES = anon_cow
+TEST_GEN_FILES = cow
 TEST_GEN_FILES += compaction_test
 TEST_GEN_FILES += gup_test
 TEST_GEN_FILES += hmm-tests
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ TEST_FILES += va_128TBswitch.sh
 
 include ../lib.mk
 
-$(OUTPUT)/anon_cow: vm_util.c
+$(OUTPUT)/cow: vm_util.c
 $(OUTPUT)/khugepaged: vm_util.c
 $(OUTPUT)/ksm_functional_tests: vm_util.c
 $(OUTPUT)/madv_populate: vm_util.c
@@ -156,8 +156,8 @@ warn_32bit_failure:
 endif
 endif
 
-# ANON_COW_EXTRA_LIBS may get set in local_config.mk, or it may be left empty.
-$(OUTPUT)/anon_cow: LDLIBS += $(ANON_COW_EXTRA_LIBS)
+# cow_EXTRA_LIBS may get set in local_config.mk, or it may be left empty.
+$(OUTPUT)/cow: LDLIBS += $(COW_EXTRA_LIBS)
 
 $(OUTPUT)/mlock-random-test $(OUTPUT)/memfd_secret: LDLIBS += -lcap
 
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ local_config.mk local_config.h: check_config.sh
 
 EXTRA_CLEAN += local_config.mk local_config.h
 
-ifeq ($(ANON_COW_EXTRA_LIBS),)
+ifeq ($(COW_EXTRA_LIBS),)
 all: warn_missing_liburing
 
 warn_missing_liburing:
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/vm/check_config.sh b/tools/testing/selftests/vm/check_config.sh
index 9a44c6520925..bcba3af0acea 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/vm/check_config.sh
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/vm/check_config.sh
@@ -21,11 +21,11 @@ $CC -c $tmpfile_c -o $tmpfile_o >/dev/null 2>&1
 
 if [ -f $tmpfile_o ]; then
     echo "#define LOCAL_CONFIG_HAVE_LIBURING 1"  > $OUTPUT_H_FILE
-    echo "ANON_COW_EXTRA_LIBS = -luring"         > $OUTPUT_MKFILE
+    echo "COW_EXTRA_LIBS = -luring"              > $OUTPUT_MKFILE
 else
     echo "// No liburing support found"          > $OUTPUT_H_FILE
     echo "# No liburing support found, so:"      > $OUTPUT_MKFILE
-    echo "ANON_COW_EXTRA_LIBS = "               >> $OUTPUT_MKFILE
+    echo "COW_EXTRA_LIBS = "                    >> $OUTPUT_MKFILE
 fi
 
 rm ${tmpname}.*
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/vm/anon_cow.c b/tools/testing/selftests/vm/cow.c
similarity index 97%
rename from tools/testing/selftests/vm/anon_cow.c
rename to tools/testing/selftests/vm/cow.c
index bbb251eb5025..d202bfd63585 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/vm/anon_cow.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/vm/cow.c
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
 /*
- * COW (Copy On Write) tests for anonymous memory.
+ * COW (Copy On Write) tests.
  *
  * Copyright 2022, Red Hat, Inc.
  *
@@ -986,7 +986,11 @@ struct test_case {
 	test_fn fn;
 };
 
-static const struct test_case test_cases[] = {
+/*
+ * Test cases that are specific to anonymous pages: pages in private mappings
+ * that may get shared via COW during fork().
+ */
+static const struct test_case anon_test_cases[] = {
 	/*
 	 * Basic COW tests for fork() without any GUP. If we miss to break COW,
 	 * either the child can observe modifications by the parent or the
@@ -1104,7 +1108,7 @@ static const struct test_case test_cases[] = {
 	},
 };
 
-static void run_test_case(struct test_case const *test_case)
+static void run_anon_test_case(struct test_case const *test_case)
 {
 	int i;
 
@@ -1125,15 +1129,17 @@ static void run_test_case(struct test_case const *test_case)
 				 hugetlbsizes[i]);
 }
 
-static void run_test_cases(void)
+static void run_anon_test_cases(void)
 {
 	int i;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(test_cases); i++)
-		run_test_case(&test_cases[i]);
+	ksft_print_msg("[INFO] Anonymous memory tests in private mappings\n");
+
+	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(anon_test_cases); i++)
+		run_anon_test_case(&anon_test_cases[i]);
 }
 
-static int tests_per_test_case(void)
+static int tests_per_anon_test_case(void)
 {
 	int tests = 2 + nr_hugetlbsizes;
 
@@ -1144,7 +1150,6 @@ static int tests_per_test_case(void)
 
 int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
-	int nr_test_cases = ARRAY_SIZE(test_cases);
 	int err;
 
 	pagesize = getpagesize();
@@ -1152,14 +1157,14 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	detect_hugetlbsizes();
 
 	ksft_print_header();
-	ksft_set_plan(nr_test_cases * tests_per_test_case());
+	ksft_set_plan(ARRAY_SIZE(anon_test_cases) * tests_per_anon_test_case());
 
 	gup_fd = open("/sys/kernel/debug/gup_test", O_RDWR);
 	pagemap_fd = open("/proc/self/pagemap", O_RDONLY);
 	if (pagemap_fd < 0)
 		ksft_exit_fail_msg("opening pagemap failed\n");
 
-	run_test_cases();
+	run_anon_test_cases();
 
 	err = ksft_get_fail_cnt();
 	if (err)
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/vm/run_vmtests.sh b/tools/testing/selftests/vm/run_vmtests.sh
index ce52e4f5ff21..71744b9002d0 100755
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/vm/run_vmtests.sh
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/vm/run_vmtests.sh
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ separated by spaces:
 	memory protection key tests
 - soft_dirty
 	test soft dirty page bit semantics
-- anon_cow
-	test anonymous copy-on-write semantics
+- cow
+	test copy-on-write semantics
 example: ./run_vmtests.sh -t "hmm mmap ksm"
 EOF
 	exit 0
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ fi
 
 CATEGORY="soft_dirty" run_test ./soft-dirty
 
-# COW tests for anonymous memory
-CATEGORY="anon_cow" run_test ./anon_cow
+# COW tests
+CATEGORY="cow" run_test ./cow
 
 exit $exitcode
