diff --git a/pkgs/tools/archivers/sharutils/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/archivers/sharutils/default.nix
index 15b8ead7d38..bbf585d058b 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/archivers/sharutils/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/archivers/sharutils/default.nix
@@ -8,6 +8,13 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     sha256 = "1mallg1gprimlggdisfzdmh1xi676jsfdlfyvanlcw72ny8fsj3g";
   };
 
+  preConfigure =
+    ''
+       # Fix for building on Glibc 2.16.  Won't be needed once the
+       # gnulib in sharutils is updated.
+       sed -i '/gets is a security hole/d' lib/stdio.in.h
+    '';
+
   # GNU Gettext is needed on non-GNU platforms.
   buildInputs = [ gettext ];