diff --git a/src/stub/fold_elf86.asm b/src/stub/fold_elf86.asm
index 5e11a0cc..4c654eed 100644
--- a/src/stub/fold_elf86.asm
+++ b/src/stub/fold_elf86.asm
@@ -131,9 +131,12 @@ EXTERN make_hatch
 %define  N_STKCLR (0x100 + MAX_ELF_HDR + OVERHEAD)/4
         lea edi, [esp - 4*N_STKCLR]
         pusha  ; values will be zeroed
+        mov esi,esp  ; save
+        mov esp,edi  ; Linux does not grow stack below esp
         mov ecx, N_STKCLR
         xor eax,eax
         rep stosd
+        mov esp,esi  ; restore
 
         xor ecx, ecx  ; 0
         mov ch, PAGE_SIZE>>8  ; 0x1000
diff --git a/src/stub/fold_sh86.asm b/src/stub/fold_sh86.asm
index 2baccc19..0824d9e5 100644
--- a/src/stub/fold_sh86.asm
+++ b/src/stub/fold_sh86.asm
@@ -141,9 +141,12 @@ EXTERN upx_main
 %define  N_STKCLR (0x100 + MAX_ELF_HDR + OVERHEAD)/4
         lea edi, [esp - 4*N_STKCLR]
         pusha  ; values will be zeroed
+        mov ebx,esp  ; save
+        mov esp,edi  ; Linux does not grow stack below esp
         mov ecx, N_STKCLR
         xor eax,eax
         rep stosd
+        mov esp,ebx  ; restore
 
 ; Because the decompressed shell script occupies low memory anyway,
 ; there isn't much payback to unmapping the compressed script and
diff --git a/src/stub/l_lx_sep86.asm b/src/stub/l_lx_sep86.asm
index deff75ab..712cf40a 100644
--- a/src/stub/l_lx_sep86.asm
+++ b/src/stub/l_lx_sep86.asm
@@ -234,9 +234,12 @@ EXTERN make_hatch
 %define  N_STKCLR (0x100 + MAX_ELF_HDR + OVERHEAD)/4
         lea edi, [esp - 4*N_STKCLR]
         pusha  ; values will be zeroed
+        mov ebx,esp  ; save
+        mov esp,edi  ; Linux does not grow stack below esp
         mov ecx, N_STKCLR
         xor eax,eax
         rep stosd
+        mov esp,ebx  ; restore
 
         mov ecx, dword -PAGE_SIZE
         mov ebx, ebp