diff --git a/src/firecracker/src/main.rs b/src/firecracker/src/main.rs
index ef1421e92c3..4630e2a9be1 100644
--- a/src/firecracker/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/firecracker/src/main.rs
@@ -248,6 +248,11 @@ fn main_exec() -> Result<(), MainError> {
                 Argument::new("mmds-size-limit")
                     .takes_value(true)
                     .help("Mmds data store limit, in bytes."),
+            )
+            .arg(
+                Argument::new("no-outlive-parent")
+                    .takes_value(false)
+                    .help("Whether to abort the VMM when the parent process dies."),
             );
 
     arg_parser.parse_from_cmdline()?;
@@ -297,7 +302,8 @@ fn main_exec() -> Result<(), MainError> {
         .map_err(MainError::LoggerInitialization)?;
     info!("Running Firecracker v{FIRECRACKER_VERSION}");
 
-    register_signal_handlers().map_err(MainError::RegisterSignalHandlers)?;
+    let register_pdeathsig = arguments.flag_present("no-outlive-parent");
+    register_signal_handlers(register_pdeathsig).map_err(MainError::RegisterSignalHandlers)?;
 
     #[cfg(target_arch = "aarch64")]
     enable_ssbd_mitigation();
diff --git a/src/vmm/src/lib.rs b/src/vmm/src/lib.rs
index 36e30003706..248430e4fa2 100644
--- a/src/vmm/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/vmm/src/lib.rs
@@ -178,6 +178,8 @@ pub enum FcExitCode {
     SIGHUP = 156,
     /// Firecracker was shut down after intercepting `SIGILL`.
     SIGILL = 157,
+    /// Firecracker was shut down after intercepting `SIGUSR2` (parent process has died).
+    SIGUSR2 = 158,
     /// Bad configuration for microvm's resources, when using a single json.
     BadConfiguration = 152,
     /// Command line arguments parsing error.
diff --git a/src/vmm/src/logger/metrics.rs b/src/vmm/src/logger/metrics.rs
index f333fe04547..28ed39b7d9a 100644
--- a/src/vmm/src/logger/metrics.rs
+++ b/src/vmm/src/logger/metrics.rs
@@ -814,6 +814,8 @@ pub struct SignalMetrics {
     pub sighup: SharedStoreMetric,
     /// Number of times that SIGILL was handled.
     pub sigill: SharedStoreMetric,
+    /// Number of times that SIGUSR2 was handled.
+    pub sigusr2: SharedStoreMetric,
 }
 impl SignalMetrics {
     /// Const default construction.
@@ -826,6 +828,7 @@ impl SignalMetrics {
             sigpipe: SharedIncMetric::new(),
             sighup: SharedStoreMetric::new(),
             sigill: SharedStoreMetric::new(),
+            sigusr2: SharedStoreMetric::new(),
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/vmm/src/signal_handler.rs b/src/vmm/src/signal_handler.rs
index 0f144365bb7..a6bbd7900f0 100644
--- a/src/vmm/src/signal_handler.rs
+++ b/src/vmm/src/signal_handler.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
 use libc::{
-    c_int, c_void, siginfo_t, SIGBUS, SIGHUP, SIGILL, SIGPIPE, SIGSEGV, SIGSYS, SIGXCPU, SIGXFSZ,
+    c_int, c_void, prctl, siginfo_t, PR_SET_PDEATHSIG, SIGBUS, SIGHUP, SIGILL, SIGPIPE, SIGSEGV,
+    SIGSYS, SIGUSR2, SIGXCPU, SIGXFSZ,
 };
 use log::error;
 use utils::signal::register_signal_handler;
@@ -74,6 +75,13 @@ fn log_sigsys_err(si_code: c_int, info: *mut siginfo_t) {
     );
 }
 
+fn log_parent_death_signal(si_code: c_int, _info: *mut siginfo_t) {
+    error!(
+        "Shutting down VM after intercepting the parent death signal ({}).",
+        si_code
+    );
+}
+
 fn empty_fn(_si_code: c_int, _info: *mut siginfo_t) {}
 
 generate_handler!(
@@ -123,6 +131,7 @@ generate_handler!(
     METRICS.signals.sighup,
     empty_fn
 );
+
 generate_handler!(
     sigill_handler,
     SIGILL,
@@ -131,6 +140,14 @@ generate_handler!(
     empty_fn
 );
 
+generate_handler!(
+    sigusr2_handler,
+    SIGUSR2,
+    SIGUSR2,
+    METRICS.signals.sigusr2,
+    log_parent_death_signal
+);
+
 #[inline(always)]
 extern "C" fn sigpipe_handler(num: c_int, info: *mut siginfo_t, _unused: *mut c_void) {
     // Just record the metric and allow the process to continue, the EPIPE error needs
@@ -155,7 +172,7 @@ extern "C" fn sigpipe_handler(num: c_int, info: *mut siginfo_t, _unused: *mut c_
 ///
 /// Custom handlers are installed for: `SIGBUS`, `SIGSEGV`, `SIGSYS`
 /// `SIGXFSZ` `SIGXCPU` `SIGPIPE` `SIGHUP` and `SIGILL`.
-pub fn register_signal_handlers() -> utils::errno::Result<()> {
+pub fn register_signal_handlers(register_pdeathsig: bool) -> utils::errno::Result<()> {
     // Call to unsafe register_signal_handler which is considered unsafe because it will
     // register a signal handler which will be called in the current thread and will interrupt
     // whatever work is done on the current thread, so we have to keep in mind that the registered
@@ -168,6 +185,14 @@ pub fn register_signal_handlers() -> utils::errno::Result<()> {
     register_signal_handler(SIGPIPE, sigpipe_handler)?;
     register_signal_handler(SIGHUP, sighup_handler)?;
     register_signal_handler(SIGILL, sigill_handler)?;
+
+    if register_pdeathsig {
+        register_signal_handler(SIGUSR2, sigusr2_handler)?;
+        unsafe {
+            let rc = libc::prctl(PR_SET_PDEATHSIG, SIGUSR2);
+            assert_eq!(rc, 0);
+        }
+    }
     Ok(())
 }
 
@@ -184,7 +209,7 @@ mod tests {
     #[test]
     fn test_signal_handler() {
         let child = thread::spawn(move || {
-            assert!(register_signal_handlers().is_ok());
+            assert!(register_signal_handlers(true).is_ok());
 
             let filter = make_test_seccomp_bpf_filter();
 
@@ -235,6 +260,12 @@ mod tests {
             unsafe {
                 syscall(libc::SYS_kill, process::id(), SIGILL);
             }
+
+            // Call SIGUSR2 signal handler.
+            assert_eq!(METRICS.signals.sigusr2.fetch(), 0);
+            unsafe {
+                syscall(libc::SYS_kill, process::id(), SIGUSR2);
+            }
         });
         assert!(child.join().is_ok());
 
@@ -246,6 +277,7 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(METRICS.signals.sigpipe.count() >= 1);
         assert!(METRICS.signals.sighup.fetch() >= 1);
         assert!(METRICS.signals.sigill.fetch() >= 1);
+        assert!(METRICS.signals.sigusr2.fetch() >= 1);
     }
 
     fn make_test_seccomp_bpf_filter() -> Vec<sock_filter> {