diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index e5e8860a6a3121705e0903d08b08ffefbba3869a..7573af31ed7289df96ed8be8cebc68a18f688a9f 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -366,6 +366,8 @@ virLogParseOutputs;
 virLogStartup;
 virLogShutdown;
 virLogReset;
+virLogLock;
+virLogUnlock;
 
 
 # memory.h
diff --git a/src/util/logging.c b/src/util/logging.c
index 3b3c3090436a2ddfdac83e8c7b12815d89e45f14..11a4b06f181b83d432cce63b7ae153005a9b80e4 100644
--- a/src/util/logging.c
+++ b/src/util/logging.c
@@ -133,11 +133,11 @@ static int virLogResetOutputs(void);
  */
 virMutex virLogMutex;
 
-static void virLogLock(void)
+void virLogLock(void)
 {
     virMutexLock(&virLogMutex);
 }
-static void virLogUnlock(void)
+void virLogUnlock(void)
 {
     virMutexUnlock(&virLogMutex);
 }
diff --git a/src/util/logging.h b/src/util/logging.h
index 49e2f6d5101b5805c3450477bfbb292a53493615..5f61f5951e7d452d90f4e06dee1648a2ef7e733e 100644
--- a/src/util/logging.h
+++ b/src/util/logging.h
@@ -128,6 +128,8 @@ extern int virLogDefineOutput(virLogOutputFunc f, virLogCloseFunc c, void *data,
  * Internal logging API
  */
 
+extern void virLogLock(void);
+extern void virLogUnlock(void);
 extern int virLogStartup(void);
 extern int virLogReset(void);
 extern void virLogShutdown(void);
diff --git a/src/util/util.c b/src/util/util.c
index cf1290dbc9fda894b49552ea949de3f967c24a17..327ed8a1531807258a46e983728601369f5815df 100644
--- a/src/util/util.c
+++ b/src/util/util.c
@@ -415,7 +415,15 @@ __virExec(virConnectPtr conn,
         childerr = null;
     }
 
-    if ((pid = fork()) < 0) {
+    /* Ensure we hold the logging lock, to protect child processes
+     * from deadlocking on another threads inheirited mutex state */
+    virLogLock();
+    pid = fork();
+
+    /* Unlock for both parent and child process */
+    virLogUnlock();
+
+    if (pid < 0) {
         virReportSystemError(conn, errno,
                              "%s", _("cannot fork child process"));
         goto cleanup;