diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 469f01e39..21a0ef4aa 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ AC_CHECK_HEADERS([fcntl.h stdlib.h string.h sys/socket.h time.h sys/time.h syslo
 # Source characteristics
 AC_DEFINE([_XOPEN_SOURCE], [700], [Uses X/Open and POSIX APIs])
 AC_DEFINE([__BSD_VISIBLE], [1], [Uses BSD-specific APIs (if available)])
+AC_DEFINE([_GNU_SOURCE], [1], [Use GNU sources (if available)])
 
 # Check for whether math library is required
 AC_CHECK_LIB([m], [cos],
@@ -71,6 +72,9 @@ AC_CHECK_LIB([pthread], [pthread_create], [PTHREAD_LIBS=-lpthread
               AC_DEFINE([HAVE_LIBPTHREAD],,
                         [Whether libpthread was found])])
 
+# Check for pthread_setattr_default_np
+AC_CHECK_DECLS([pthread_setattr_default_np], , , [[#include <pthread.h>]])
+            
 # librt
 AC_CHECK_FUNC([timer_create], [AC_MSG_RESULT([timer_create was found without librt.])],
               [AC_CHECK_LIB([rt], [timer_create],
diff --git a/src/guacd/daemon.c b/src/guacd/daemon.c
index 8bf81482e..1701a366a 100644
--- a/src/guacd/daemon.c
+++ b/src/guacd/daemon.c
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 #include <libgen.h>
 #include <netdb.h>
 #include <netinet/in.h>
+#include <pthread.h>
 #include <signal.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
@@ -320,6 +321,14 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
     /* General */
     int retval;
 
+#ifdef HAVE_DECL_PTHREAD_SETATTR_DEFAULT_NP
+    /* Set default stack size */
+    pthread_attr_t default_pthread_attr;
+    pthread_attr_init(&default_pthread_attr);
+    pthread_attr_setstacksize(&default_pthread_attr, GUACD_THREAD_STACK_SIZE);
+    pthread_setattr_default_np(&default_pthread_attr);
+#endif // HAVE_DECL_PTHREAD_SETATTR_DEFAULT_NP
+
     /* Load configuration */
     guacd_config* config = guacd_conf_load();
     if (config == NULL || guacd_conf_parse_args(config, argc, argv))
diff --git a/src/guacd/proc-map.h b/src/guacd/proc-map.h
index adce8cf6d..5bae48978 100644
--- a/src/guacd/proc-map.h
+++ b/src/guacd/proc-map.h
@@ -32,6 +32,11 @@
  */
 #define GUACD_CLIENT_MAX_CONNECTIONS 65536
 
+/**
+ * The pthread stack size for the guacd daemon.
+ */
+#define GUACD_THREAD_STACK_SIZE 8388608
+
 /**
  * The number of hash buckets in each process map.
  */