diff --git a/pkgs/tools/misc/idutils/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/misc/idutils/default.nix
index 4b81d48b027..b76b9a18715 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/misc/idutils/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/misc/idutils/default.nix
@@ -8,6 +8,13 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     sha256 = "1hmai3422iaqnp34kkzxdnywl7n7pvlxp11vrw66ybxn9wxg90c1";
   };
 
+  preConfigure =
+    ''
+       # Fix for building on Glibc 2.16.  Won't be needed once the
+       # gnulib in idutils is updated.
+       sed -i '/gets is a security hole/d' lib/stdio.in.h
+    '';
+
   buildInputs = stdenv.lib.optional stdenv.isLinux emacs;
 
   doCheck = true;