diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 7a96c1e3981f2d267ee01dbdc501f4037afd71bc..fee35203081711422064c75acd88b860f237cfca 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -1122,7 +1122,9 @@ virFileFdopen;
 # virpidfile.h
 virPidFileBuildPath;
 virPidFileRead;
+virPidFileReadIfAlive;
 virPidFileReadPath;
+virPidFileReadPathIfAlive;
 virPidFileWrite;
 virPidFileWritePath;
 virPidFileDelete;
diff --git a/src/network/bridge_driver.c b/src/network/bridge_driver.c
index 8b2732057f8036a3bc92fd2577d532a83d188764..cea8771774ea6f8d117d2907a58cd579593755b4 100644
--- a/src/network/bridge_driver.c
+++ b/src/network/bridge_driver.c
@@ -217,40 +217,17 @@ networkFindActiveConfigs(struct network_driver *driver) {
 
             /* Try and read dnsmasq/radvd pids if any */
             if (obj->def->ips && (obj->def->nips > 0)) {
-                char *pidpath, *radvdpidbase;
-
-                if (virPidFileRead(NETWORK_PID_DIR, obj->def->name,
-                                   &obj->dnsmasqPid) == 0) {
-                    /* Check that it's still alive */
-                    if (kill(obj->dnsmasqPid, 0) != 0)
-                        obj->dnsmasqPid = -1;
-                    if (virAsprintf(&pidpath, "/proc/%d/exe", obj->dnsmasqPid) < 0) {
-                        virReportOOMError();
-                        goto cleanup;
-                    }
-                    if (virFileLinkPointsTo(pidpath, DNSMASQ) == 0)
-                        obj->dnsmasqPid = -1;
-                    VIR_FREE(pidpath);
-                }
+                char *radvdpidbase;
+
+                ignore_value(virPidFileReadIfAlive(NETWORK_PID_DIR, obj->def->name,
+                                                   &obj->dnsmasqPid, DNSMASQ));
 
                 if (!(radvdpidbase = networkRadvdPidfileBasename(obj->def->name))) {
                     virReportOOMError();
                     goto cleanup;
                 }
-                if (virPidFileRead(NETWORK_PID_DIR, radvdpidbase,
-                                   &obj->radvdPid) == 0) {
-                    /* Check that it's still alive */
-                    if (kill(obj->radvdPid, 0) != 0)
-                        obj->radvdPid = -1;
-                    if (virAsprintf(&pidpath, "/proc/%d/exe", obj->radvdPid) < 0) {
-                        virReportOOMError();
-                        VIR_FREE(radvdpidbase);
-                        goto cleanup;
-                    }
-                    if (virFileLinkPointsTo(pidpath, RADVD) == 0)
-                        obj->radvdPid = -1;
-                    VIR_FREE(pidpath);
-                }
+                ignore_value(virPidFileReadIfAlive(NETWORK_PID_DIR, radvdpidbase,
+                                                   &obj->radvdPid, RADVD));
                 VIR_FREE(radvdpidbase);
             }
         }
diff --git a/src/util/virpidfile.c b/src/util/virpidfile.c
index 25c3272b383376a10900783b058dc11d660963fd..c0b12867db09d138f0382d76db098c78722be7c4 100644
--- a/src/util/virpidfile.c
+++ b/src/util/virpidfile.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include <config.h>
 
 #include <fcntl.h>
+#include <signal.h>
 
 #include "virpidfile.h"
 #include "virfile.h"
@@ -164,6 +165,99 @@ int virPidFileRead(const char *dir,
 }
 
 
+
+/**
+ * virPidFileReadPathIfAlive:
+ * @path: path to pidfile
+ * @pid: variable to return pid in
+ * @binpath: path of executable associated with the pidfile
+ *
+ * This will attempt to read a pid from @path, and store it
+ * in @pid. The @pid will only be set, however, if the
+ * pid in @path is running, and its executable path
+ * resolves to @binpath. This adds protection against
+ * recycling of previously reaped pids.
+ *
+ * Returns -errno upon error, or zero on successful
+ * reading of the pidfile. If the PID was not still
+ * alive, zero will be returned, but @pid will be
+ * set to -1.
+ */
+int virPidFileReadPathIfAlive(const char *path,
+                              pid_t *pid,
+                              const char *binpath)
+{
+    int rc;
+    char *procpath = NULL;
+
+    rc = virPidFileReadPath(path, pid);
+    if (rc < 0)
+        return rc;
+
+    /* Check that it's still alive */
+    if (kill(*pid, 0) < 0) {
+        *pid = -1;
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    if (virAsprintf(&procpath, "/proc/%d/exe", *pid) < 0) {
+        *pid = -1;
+        return 0;
+    }
+#ifdef __linux__
+    if (virFileLinkPointsTo(procpath, binpath) == 0)
+        *pid = -1;
+#endif
+    VIR_FREE(procpath);
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+
+/**
+ * virPidFileReadIfAlive:
+ * @dir: directory containing pidfile
+ * @name: base filename of pidfile
+ * @pid: variable to return pid in
+ * @binpath: path of executable associated with the pidfile
+ *
+ * This will attempt to read a pid from the pidfile @name
+ * in directory @dir, and store it in @pid. The @pid will
+ * only be set, however, if the pid in @name is running,
+ * and its executable path resolves to @binpath. This adds
+ * protection against recycling of previously reaped pids.
+ *
+ * Returns -errno upon error, or zero on successful
+ * reading of the pidfile. If the PID was not still
+ * alive, zero will be returned, but @pid will be
+ * set to -1.
+ */
+int virPidFileReadIfAlive(const char *dir,
+                          const char *name,
+                          pid_t *pid,
+                          const char *binpath)
+{
+    int rc = 0;
+    char *pidfile = NULL;
+
+    if (name == NULL || dir == NULL) {
+        rc = -EINVAL;
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (!(pidfile = virPidFileBuildPath(dir, name))) {
+        rc = -ENOMEM;
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    rc = virPidFileReadPathIfAlive(pidfile, pid, binpath);
+
+cleanup:
+    VIR_FREE(pidfile);
+    return rc;
+}
+
+
 int virPidFileDeletePath(const char *pidfile)
 {
     int rc = 0;
diff --git a/src/util/virpidfile.h b/src/util/virpidfile.h
index e28a3c1689d2bd133f5e218fbb6ef845268fe5b5..6659f1c1a4d3829402658be3a0e6cd471f8d2af5 100644
--- a/src/util/virpidfile.h
+++ b/src/util/virpidfile.h
@@ -42,6 +42,14 @@ int virPidFileRead(const char *dir,
                    const char *name,
                    pid_t *pid) ATTRIBUTE_RETURN_CHECK;
 
+int virPidFileReadPathIfAlive(const char *path,
+                              pid_t *pid,
+                              const char *binpath) ATTRIBUTE_RETURN_CHECK;
+int virPidFileReadIfAlive(const char *dir,
+                          const char *name,
+                          pid_t *pid,
+                          const char *binpath) ATTRIBUTE_RETURN_CHECK;
+
 int virPidFileDeletePath(const char *path);
 int virPidFileDelete(const char *dir,
                      const char *name);