diff --git a/arch/x86/Kconfig.debug b/arch/x86/Kconfig.debug
index 610aaecc19f820013ecfb9564f6c7b9762fdb82c..0c1890c41279735b68931f2aefe0b54be06638d8 100644
--- a/arch/x86/Kconfig.debug
+++ b/arch/x86/Kconfig.debug
@@ -5,6 +5,18 @@ config TRACE_IRQFLAGS_SUPPORT
 
 source "lib/Kconfig.debug"
 
+config NONPROMISC_DEVMEM
+	bool "Disable promiscuous /dev/mem"
+	default y
+	help
+	  The /dev/mem file by default only allows userspace access to PCI
+	  space and the BIOS code and data regions. This is sufficient for
+	  dosemu and X and all common users of /dev/mem. With this config
+	  option, you allow userspace access to all of memory, including
+	  kernel and userspace memory. Accidental access to this is
+	  obviously disasterous, but specific access can be used by people
+	  debugging the kernel.
+
 config EARLY_PRINTK
 	bool "Early printk" if EMBEDDED
 	default y
diff --git a/arch/x86/mm/init_32.c b/arch/x86/mm/init_32.c
index 9ec62da85fd79a75fc450b58c4ea54e4c77f857b..39852d539018cf24c84f9835ec10244cee89499e 100644
--- a/arch/x86/mm/init_32.c
+++ b/arch/x86/mm/init_32.c
@@ -227,6 +227,25 @@ static inline int page_kills_ppro(unsigned long pagenr)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/*
+ * devmem_is_allowed() checks to see if /dev/mem access to a certain address
+ * is valid. The argument is a physical page number.
+ *
+ *
+ * On x86, access has to be given to the first megabyte of ram because that area
+ * contains bios code and data regions used by X and dosemu and similar apps.
+ * Access has to be given to non-kernel-ram areas as well, these contain the PCI
+ * mmio resources as well as potential bios/acpi data regions.
+ */
+int devmem_is_allowed(unsigned long pagenr)
+{
+	if (pagenr <= 256)
+		return 1;
+	if (!page_is_ram(pagenr))
+		return 1;
+	return 0;
+}
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_HIGHMEM
 pte_t *kmap_pte;
 pgprot_t kmap_prot;
diff --git a/arch/x86/mm/init_64.c b/arch/x86/mm/init_64.c
index 1ff7906a9a4dbc7afa6dfdd24f274e077cd26773..49c274ee2fba64ea9b48713b96f814fc0afa5d23 100644
--- a/arch/x86/mm/init_64.c
+++ b/arch/x86/mm/init_64.c
@@ -664,6 +664,26 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(memory_add_physaddr_to_nid);
 
 #endif /* CONFIG_MEMORY_HOTPLUG */
 
+/*
+ * devmem_is_allowed() checks to see if /dev/mem access to a certain address
+ * is valid. The argument is a physical page number.
+ *
+ *
+ * On x86, access has to be given to the first megabyte of ram because that area
+ * contains bios code and data regions used by X and dosemu and similar apps.
+ * Access has to be given to non-kernel-ram areas as well, these contain the PCI
+ * mmio resources as well as potential bios/acpi data regions.
+ */
+int devmem_is_allowed(unsigned long pagenr)
+{
+	if (pagenr <= 256)
+		return 1;
+	if (!page_is_ram(pagenr))
+		return 1;
+	return 0;
+}
+
+
 static struct kcore_list kcore_mem, kcore_vmalloc, kcore_kernel,
 			 kcore_modules, kcore_vsyscall;
 
diff --git a/drivers/char/mem.c b/drivers/char/mem.c
index 20070b7c573d0087416213cec1fd16bf6ba825d7..dcf6e31970a1cf62d02142dd8299aba2906e4f19 100644
--- a/drivers/char/mem.c
+++ b/drivers/char/mem.c
@@ -108,6 +108,30 @@ static inline int valid_mmap_phys_addr_range(unsigned long pfn, size_t size)
 }
 #endif
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_NONPROMISC_DEVMEM
+static inline int range_is_allowed(unsigned long from, unsigned long to)
+{
+	unsigned long cursor;
+
+	cursor = from >> PAGE_SHIFT;
+	while ((cursor << PAGE_SHIFT) < to) {
+		if (!devmem_is_allowed(cursor)) {
+			printk(KERN_INFO "Program %s tried to read /dev/mem "
+				"between %lx->%lx.\n",
+				current->comm, from, to);
+			return 0;
+		}
+		cursor++;
+	}
+	return 1;
+}
+#else
+static inline int range_is_allowed(unsigned long from, unsigned long to)
+{
+	return 1;
+}
+#endif
+
 /*
  * This funcion reads the *physical* memory. The f_pos points directly to the 
  * memory location. 
@@ -157,6 +181,8 @@ static ssize_t read_mem(struct file * file, char __user * buf,
 		 */
 		ptr = xlate_dev_mem_ptr(p);
 
+		if (!range_is_allowed(p, p+count))
+			return -EPERM;
 		if (copy_to_user(buf, ptr, sz))
 			return -EFAULT;
 		buf += sz;
@@ -214,6 +240,8 @@ static ssize_t write_mem(struct file * file, const char __user * buf,
 		 */
 		ptr = xlate_dev_mem_ptr(p);
 
+		if (!range_is_allowed(p, p+sz))
+			return -EPERM;
 		copied = copy_from_user(ptr, buf, sz);
 		if (copied) {
 			written += sz - copied;
diff --git a/include/asm-x86/page.h b/include/asm-x86/page.h
index 6724a4bc6b7aee2953bbf65493c35d87939a8063..b381f4a5a0bd90fc0e75268f5ee743b56ff1d3dd 100644
--- a/include/asm-x86/page.h
+++ b/include/asm-x86/page.h
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
 #ifndef __ASSEMBLY__
 
 extern int page_is_ram(unsigned long pagenr);
+extern int devmem_is_allowed(unsigned long pagenr);
 
 extern unsigned long max_pfn_mapped;