diff --git a/src/openvpnserv/interactive.c b/src/openvpnserv/interactive.c
index 2dc865e7..275bf426 100644
--- a/src/openvpnserv/interactive.c
+++ b/src/openvpnserv/interactive.c
@@ -1975,10 +1975,26 @@ RunOpenvpn(LPVOID p)
                      GetCurrentThreadId(), pipe_uuid_str);
     RpcStringFree(&pipe_uuid_str);
 
+    /* make a security descriptor for the named pipe with access
+     * restricted to the user and SYSTEM
+     */
+    SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES sa;
+    PSECURITY_DESCRIPTOR pSD = NULL;
+    LPCWSTR szSDDL = L"D:(A;;GA;;;SY)(A;;GA;;;OW)";
+    if (!ConvertStringSecurityDescriptorToSecurityDescriptorW(
+            szSDDL, SDDL_REVISION_1, &pSD, NULL))
+    {
+        ReturnLastError(pipe, L"ConvertSDDL");
+        goto out;
+    }
+    sa.nLength = sizeof(sa);
+    sa.lpSecurityDescriptor = pSD;
+    sa.bInheritHandle = FALSE;
     ovpn_pipe = CreateNamedPipe(ovpn_pipe_name,
                                 PIPE_ACCESS_DUPLEX | FILE_FLAG_FIRST_PIPE_INSTANCE | FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED,
                                 PIPE_TYPE_MESSAGE | PIPE_READMODE_MESSAGE | PIPE_WAIT | PIPE_REJECT_REMOTE_CLIENTS,
-                                1, 128, 128, 0, NULL);
+                                1, 128, 128, 0, &sa);
+
     if (ovpn_pipe == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
     {
         ReturnLastError(pipe, L"CreateNamedPipe");