diff --git a/fs/exec.c b/fs/exec.c
index 055378d2513e..0e1c95074d42 100644
--- a/fs/exec.c
+++ b/fs/exec.c
@@ -1403,7 +1403,7 @@ static void zap_threads (struct mm_struct *mm)
 		do_each_thread(g,p) {
 			if (mm == p->mm && p != tsk &&
 			    p->ptrace && p->parent->mm == mm) {
-				__ptrace_unlink(p);
+				__ptrace_detach(p, 0);
 			}
 		} while_each_thread(g,p);
 		write_unlock_irq(&tasklist_lock);
diff --git a/include/linux/ptrace.h b/include/linux/ptrace.h
index 9d5cd106b344..0d36750fc0f1 100644
--- a/include/linux/ptrace.h
+++ b/include/linux/ptrace.h
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ extern int ptrace_readdata(struct task_struct *tsk, unsigned long src, char __us
 extern int ptrace_writedata(struct task_struct *tsk, char __user *src, unsigned long dst, int len);
 extern int ptrace_attach(struct task_struct *tsk);
 extern int ptrace_detach(struct task_struct *, unsigned int);
+extern void __ptrace_detach(struct task_struct *, unsigned int);
 extern void ptrace_disable(struct task_struct *);
 extern int ptrace_check_attach(struct task_struct *task, int kill);
 extern int ptrace_request(struct task_struct *child, long request, long addr, long data);
diff --git a/kernel/ptrace.c b/kernel/ptrace.c
index d2cf144d0af5..d95a72c9279d 100644
--- a/kernel/ptrace.c
+++ b/kernel/ptrace.c
@@ -72,8 +72,8 @@ void ptrace_untrace(task_t *child)
  */
 void __ptrace_unlink(task_t *child)
 {
-	if (!child->ptrace)
-		BUG();
+	BUG_ON(!child->ptrace);
+
 	child->ptrace = 0;
 	if (!list_empty(&child->ptrace_list)) {
 		list_del_init(&child->ptrace_list);
@@ -184,22 +184,27 @@ bad:
 	return retval;
 }
 
-int ptrace_detach(struct task_struct *child, unsigned int data)
+void __ptrace_detach(struct task_struct *child, unsigned int data)
 {
-	if (!valid_signal(data))
-		return	-EIO;
-
-	/* Architecture-specific hardware disable .. */
-	ptrace_disable(child);
-
-	/* .. re-parent .. */
 	child->exit_code = data;
-
-	write_lock_irq(&tasklist_lock);
+	/* .. re-parent .. */
 	__ptrace_unlink(child);
 	/* .. and wake it up. */
 	if (child->exit_state != EXIT_ZOMBIE)
 		wake_up_process(child);
+}
+
+int ptrace_detach(struct task_struct *child, unsigned int data)
+{
+	if (!valid_signal(data))
+		return -EIO;
+
+	/* Architecture-specific hardware disable .. */
+	ptrace_disable(child);
+
+	write_lock_irq(&tasklist_lock);
+	if (child->ptrace)
+		__ptrace_detach(child, data);
 	write_unlock_irq(&tasklist_lock);
 
 	return 0;