diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 81f4f309e..3ffb234c7 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -1695,4 +1695,5 @@
 
 [4.2.7]
 * Fix issue where the icon for normal users was displayed incorrectly
+* Kill stuck backup processes after 12 hours and notify admins
 
diff --git a/src/backups.js b/src/backups.js
index a5a2be70a..39442e8fa 100644
--- a/src/backups.js
+++ b/src/backups.js
@@ -1024,7 +1024,7 @@ function startBackupTask(auditSource, callback) {
 
         eventlog.add(eventlog.ACTION_BACKUP_START, auditSource, { taskId });
 
-        tasks.startTask(taskId, {}, function (error, result) {
+        tasks.startTask(taskId, { timeout: 12 * 60 * 60 * 1000 /* 12 hours */ }, function (error, result) {
             locker.unlock(locker.OP_FULL_BACKUP);
 
             const errorMessage = error ? error.message : '';