diff --git a/include/linux/sched.h b/include/linux/sched.h
index a95a2455cebe..32e309df408c 100644
--- a/include/linux/sched.h
+++ b/include/linux/sched.h
@@ -527,6 +527,7 @@ struct thread_group_cputimer {
  * the locking of signal_struct.
  */
 struct signal_struct {
+	atomic_t		sigcnt;
 	atomic_t		count;
 	atomic_t		live;
 
@@ -2101,7 +2102,6 @@ extern void flush_thread(void);
 extern void exit_thread(void);
 
 extern void exit_files(struct task_struct *);
-extern void __cleanup_signal(struct signal_struct *);
 extern void __cleanup_sighand(struct sighand_struct *);
 
 extern void exit_itimers(struct signal_struct *);
diff --git a/kernel/exit.c b/kernel/exit.c
index 4a72f1753edb..92af5cde9bbe 100644
--- a/kernel/exit.c
+++ b/kernel/exit.c
@@ -134,8 +134,6 @@ static void __exit_signal(struct task_struct *tsk)
 	 * doing sigqueue_free() if we have SIGQUEUE_PREALLOC signals.
 	 */
 	flush_sigqueue(&tsk->pending);
-
-	tsk->signal = NULL;
 	tsk->sighand = NULL;
 	spin_unlock(&sighand->siglock);
 
@@ -150,7 +148,6 @@ static void __exit_signal(struct task_struct *tsk)
 		 */
 		task_rq_unlock_wait(tsk);
 		tty_kref_put(sig->tty);
-		__cleanup_signal(sig);
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/kernel/fork.c b/kernel/fork.c
index b7879ef6e7cd..e08e3012cd6b 100644
--- a/kernel/fork.c
+++ b/kernel/fork.c
@@ -165,6 +165,18 @@ void free_task(struct task_struct *tsk)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(free_task);
 
+static inline void free_signal_struct(struct signal_struct *sig)
+{
+	thread_group_cputime_free(sig);
+	kmem_cache_free(signal_cachep, sig);
+}
+
+static inline void put_signal_struct(struct signal_struct *sig)
+{
+	if (atomic_dec_and_test(&sig->sigcnt))
+		free_signal_struct(sig);
+}
+
 void __put_task_struct(struct task_struct *tsk)
 {
 	WARN_ON(!tsk->exit_state);
@@ -173,6 +185,7 @@ void __put_task_struct(struct task_struct *tsk)
 
 	exit_creds(tsk);
 	delayacct_tsk_free(tsk);
+	put_signal_struct(tsk->signal);
 
 	if (!profile_handoff_task(tsk))
 		free_task(tsk);
@@ -864,6 +877,7 @@ static int copy_signal(unsigned long clone_flags, struct task_struct *tsk)
 	if (!sig)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
+	atomic_set(&sig->sigcnt, 1);
 	atomic_set(&sig->count, 1);
 	atomic_set(&sig->live, 1);
 	init_waitqueue_head(&sig->wait_chldexit);
@@ -889,12 +903,6 @@ static int copy_signal(unsigned long clone_flags, struct task_struct *tsk)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-void __cleanup_signal(struct signal_struct *sig)
-{
-	thread_group_cputime_free(sig);
-	kmem_cache_free(signal_cachep, sig);
-}
-
 static void copy_flags(unsigned long clone_flags, struct task_struct *p)
 {
 	unsigned long new_flags = p->flags;
@@ -1248,6 +1256,7 @@ static struct task_struct *copy_process(unsigned long clone_flags,
 	}
 
 	if (clone_flags & CLONE_THREAD) {
+		atomic_inc(&current->signal->sigcnt);
 		atomic_inc(&current->signal->count);
 		atomic_inc(&current->signal->live);
 		p->group_leader = current->group_leader;
@@ -1294,7 +1303,7 @@ bad_fork_cleanup_mm:
 		mmput(p->mm);
 bad_fork_cleanup_signal:
 	if (!(clone_flags & CLONE_THREAD))
-		__cleanup_signal(p->signal);
+		free_signal_struct(p->signal);
 bad_fork_cleanup_sighand:
 	__cleanup_sighand(p->sighand);
 bad_fork_cleanup_fs: