diff --git a/doc/Changelog b/doc/Changelog
index 794f1140b..85e043d4a 100644
--- a/doc/Changelog
+++ b/doc/Changelog
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 	- 0.9 released.
 	- 1.0 development. Printout ldns version on unbound -h.
 	- start of perf tool.
+	- bugfix to read empty lines from /etc/hosts.
 
 12 February 2008: Wouter
 	- fixup problem with configure calling itself if ldns-src tarball
diff --git a/libunbound/libunbound.c b/libunbound/libunbound.c
index 2b694dac1..0e7d70256 100644
--- a/libunbound/libunbound.c
+++ b/libunbound/libunbound.c
@@ -878,6 +878,8 @@ ub_ctx_hosts(struct ub_ctx* ctx, char* fname)
 		/* skip addr */
 		while(isxdigit(*parse) || *parse == '.' || *parse == ':')
 			parse++;
+		if(*parse == '\n' || *parse == 0)
+			continue;
 		if(*parse != ' ' && *parse != '\t') {
 			/* must have whitespace after address */
 			fclose(in);