diff --git a/udev.c b/udev.c
index beaa191c04..926c4b526a 100644
--- a/udev.c
+++ b/udev.c
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[], char *envp[])
 	const char *devpath;
 	const char *subsystem;
 	struct sigaction act;
+	int devnull;
 	int retval = -EINVAL;
 
 	if (argc == 2 && strcmp(argv[1], "-V") == 0) {
@@ -79,7 +80,22 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[], char *envp[])
 		exit(0);
 	}
 
+	/* set std fd's to /dev/null, if the kernel forks us, we don't have them at all */
+	devnull = open("/dev/null", O_RDWR);
+	if (devnull >= 0)  {
+		if (devnull != STDIN_FILENO)
+			dup2(devnull, STDIN_FILENO);
+		if (devnull != STDOUT_FILENO)
+			dup2(devnull, STDOUT_FILENO);
+		if (devnull != STDERR_FILENO)
+			dup2(devnull, STDERR_FILENO);
+		if (devnull > STDERR_FILENO)
+			close(devnull);
+	}
+
 	logging_init("udev");
+	if (devnull < 0)
+		err("fatal, could not open /dev/null");
 	udev_init_config();
 	dbg("version %s", UDEV_VERSION);
 
diff --git a/udevd.c b/udevd.c
index 79d3e82550..ffd2b1ff3b 100644
--- a/udevd.c
+++ b/udevd.c
@@ -777,7 +777,23 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[], char *envp[])
 	int daemonize = 0;
 	int i;
 
+	/* set std fd's to /dev/null, if the kernel forks us, we don't have them at all */
+	devnull = open("/dev/null", O_RDWR);
+	if (devnull >= 0)  {
+		if (devnull != STDIN_FILENO)
+			dup2(devnull, STDIN_FILENO);
+		if (devnull != STDOUT_FILENO)
+			dup2(devnull, STDOUT_FILENO);
+		if (devnull != STDERR_FILENO)
+			dup2(devnull, STDERR_FILENO);
+		if (devnull > STDERR_FILENO)
+			close(devnull);
+	}
+
 	logging_init("udevd");
+	if (devnull < 0)
+		err("fatal, could not open /dev/null");
+
 	udev_init_config();
 	dbg("version %s", UDEV_VERSION);
 
@@ -825,16 +841,6 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[], char *envp[])
 	/* set a reasonable scheduling priority for the daemon */
 	setpriority(PRIO_PROCESS, 0, UDEVD_PRIORITY);
 
-	/* Set fds to dev/null */
-	devnull = open( "/dev/null", O_RDWR );
-	if (devnull > 0)  {
-		dup2(devnull, STDIN_FILENO);
-		dup2(devnull, STDOUT_FILENO);
-		dup2(devnull, STDERR_FILENO);
-		close(devnull);
-	} else
-		err("error opening /dev/null %s", strerror(errno));
-
 	/* setup signal handler pipe */
 	retval = pipe(pipefds);
 	if (retval < 0) {