diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index ac43b879a..7db79bcda 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ linux (4.19.6-1~exp1) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
   [ Ben Hutchings ]
   * debian/rules.real: Mark most targets as phony
   * debian/rules: Mark more targets as phony
+  * libcpupower: Hide private function and drop it from .symbols file
 
  -- Uwe Kleine-König <ukleinek@debian.org>  Wed, 28 Nov 2018 12:20:46 +0100
 
diff --git a/debian/libcpupower1.symbols b/debian/libcpupower1.symbols
index 1e691c28f..bd3e8fbc8 100644
--- a/debian/libcpupower1.symbols
+++ b/debian/libcpupower1.symbols
@@ -36,4 +36,3 @@ libcpupower.so.1 libcpupower1 #MINVER#
  cpuidle_state_usage@Base 4.7~rc2-1~exp1
  cpupower_is_cpu_online@Base 4.7~rc2-1~exp1
  get_cpu_topology@Base 4.7~rc2-1~exp1
- sysfs_read_file@Base 4.7~rc2-1~exp1
diff --git a/debian/patches/bugfix/all/libcpupower-hide-private-function.patch b/debian/patches/bugfix/all/libcpupower-hide-private-function.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ac76e638e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/debian/patches/bugfix/all/libcpupower-hide-private-function.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+From: Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk>
+Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2018 19:22:50 +0000
+Subject: libcpupower: Hide private function
+
+cpupower_read_sysfs() (previously known as sysfs_read_file()) is an
+internal function in libcpupower and should not be exported when
+libcpupower is a shared library.  Change its visibility to "hidden".
+
+Signed-off-by: Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk>
+---
+--- a/tools/power/cpupower/lib/cpupower.c
++++ b/tools/power/cpupower/lib/cpupower.c
+@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
+ #include "cpupower.h"
+ #include "cpupower_intern.h"
+ 
++__attribute__((visibility("hidden")))
+ unsigned int cpupower_read_sysfs(const char *path, char *buf, size_t buflen)
+ {
+ 	int fd;
diff --git a/debian/patches/series b/debian/patches/series
index 846ff16eb..b5191ac9b 100644
--- a/debian/patches/series
+++ b/debian/patches/series
@@ -143,6 +143,7 @@ bugfix/all/tools-lib-traceevent-use-ldflags.patch
 bugfix/x86/revert-perf-build-fix-libunwind-feature-detection-on.patch
 bugfix/all/tools-build-remove-bpf-run-time-check-at-build-time.patch
 bugfix/all/cpupower-bump-soname-version.patch
+bugfix/all/libcpupower-hide-private-function.patch
 bugfix/all/cpupower-fix-checks-for-cpu-existence.patch
 bugfix/all/tools-lib-api-fs-fs.c-fix-misuse-of-strncpy.patch
 bugfix/all/usbip-fix-misuse-of-strncpy.patch