diff --git a/storm-core/src/native/worker-launcher/impl/main.c b/storm-core/src/native/worker-launcher/impl/main.c
index b3497a6b31e..28e841e8d23 100644
--- a/storm-core/src/native/worker-launcher/impl/main.c
+++ b/storm-core/src/native/worker-launcher/impl/main.c
@@ -218,11 +218,15 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
       exit_code = INVALID_ARGUMENT_NUMBER;
     } else {
       working_dir = argv[optind++];
+      // Read and parse the docker command file before setup_dir_permissions
+      // changes the ownership of the worker directory (which contains the
+      // command file) below.
+      char *docker_command = parse_docker_command_file(argv[optind]);
       exit_code = setup_dir_permissions(working_dir, 1, TRUE);
       if (exit_code == 0) {
         exit_code = setup_worker_tmp_permissions(working_dir);
         if (exit_code == 0) {
-          exit_code = run_docker_cmd(working_dir, argv[optind]);
+          exit_code = exec_docker_cmd(docker_command);
         }
       }
     }
diff --git a/storm-core/src/native/worker-launcher/impl/worker-launcher.c b/storm-core/src/native/worker-launcher/impl/worker-launcher.c
index 43b736ade55..3d1910105c5 100644
--- a/storm-core/src/native/worker-launcher/impl/worker-launcher.c
+++ b/storm-core/src/native/worker-launcher/impl/worker-launcher.c
@@ -1171,7 +1171,31 @@ char *parse_docker_command_file(const char *command_file) {
     exit(ERROR_CHANGING_USER);
   }
 
-  stream = fopen(command_file, "r");
+  int fd = open(command_file, O_RDONLY | O_NOFOLLOW);
+  if (fd == -1) {
+    fprintf(ERRORFILE, "ERROR: Cannot open file %s - %s in parse_docker_command",
+            command_file, strerror(errno));
+    fflush(ERRORFILE);
+    exit(ERROR_OPENING_FILE);
+  }
+  // Require the command file to be a regular file owned by the
+  // worker-launcher user (or root) and not writable by others.
+  struct stat file_stat;
+  if (fstat(fd, &file_stat) != 0) {
+    fprintf(ERRORFILE, "ERROR: Cannot stat file %s - %s in parse_docker_command",
+            command_file, strerror(errno));
+    fflush(ERRORFILE);
+    exit(ERROR_OPENING_FILE);
+  }
+  if (!S_ISREG(file_stat.st_mode)
+      || (file_stat.st_uid != launcher_uid && file_stat.st_uid != 0)
+      || (file_stat.st_mode & S_IWOTH) != 0) {
+    fprintf(ERRORFILE, "ERROR: Refusing to use command file %s that is not a regular file"
+            " owned by the worker-launcher user and unwritable by others\n", command_file);
+    fflush(ERRORFILE);
+    exit(ERROR_OPENING_FILE);
+  }
+  stream = fdopen(fd, "r");
   if (stream == NULL) {
     fprintf(ERRORFILE, "ERROR: Cannot open file %s - %s in parse_docker_command",
             command_file, strerror(errno));
@@ -1198,8 +1222,7 @@ char *parse_docker_command_file(const char *command_file) {
   return ret;
 }
 
-int run_docker_cmd(const char *working_dir, const char *command_file) {
-  char *docker_command = parse_docker_command_file(command_file);
+int exec_docker_cmd(char *docker_command) {
   char *docker_binary = get_docker_binary();
   size_t command_size = MIN(sysconf(_SC_ARG_MAX), 128 * 1024);
 
@@ -1228,6 +1251,10 @@ int run_docker_cmd(const char *working_dir, const char *command_file) {
   return -1;
 }
 
+int run_docker_cmd(const char *working_dir, const char *command_file) {
+  return exec_docker_cmd(parse_docker_command_file(command_file));
+}
+
 //functions below are nsenter related.
 //Used for running profiling inside docker container through nsenter.
 
diff --git a/storm-core/src/native/worker-launcher/impl/worker-launcher.h b/storm-core/src/native/worker-launcher/impl/worker-launcher.h
index 8dd7f8cc7fa..da105f7ae43 100644
--- a/storm-core/src/native/worker-launcher/impl/worker-launcher.h
+++ b/storm-core/src/native/worker-launcher/impl/worker-launcher.h
@@ -185,6 +185,18 @@ int change_effective_user(uid_t user, gid_t group);
  */
 char *get_docker_binary();
 
+/**
+ * Read and parse a docker command file. The file must be a regular file
+ * owned by the worker-launcher user (or root) and not writable by others.
+ * Exits the process on any error.
+ */
+char *parse_docker_command_file(const char *command_file);
+
+/**
+ * Exec the docker binary with an already-parsed docker command.
+ */
+int exec_docker_cmd(char *docker_command);
+
 /**
  * Run a docker command passing the command file as an argument
  */