diff --git a/src/addons.js b/src/addons.js
index d084de002..ead972b6f 100644
--- a/src/addons.js
+++ b/src/addons.js
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ function updateAddonConfig(platformConfig, callback) {
         }
 
         const args = `update --memory ${memory} --memory-swap ${memorySwap} ${containerName}`.split(' ');
-        shell.exec(`update${containerName}`, '/usr/bin/docker', args, { }, iteratorCallback);
+        shell.spawn(`update${containerName}`, '/usr/bin/docker', args, { }, iteratorCallback);
     }, callback);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/docker.js b/src/docker.js
index 600c8e8a6..f27b9d5e7 100644
--- a/src/docker.js
+++ b/src/docker.js
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ function pullImage(manifest, callback) {
 
     // Use docker CLI here to support downloading of private repos. for dockerode, we have to use
     // https://github.com/apocas/dockerode#pull-from-private-repos
-    shell.exec('pullImage', '/usr/bin/docker', [ 'pull', manifest.dockerImage ], { }, function (error) {
+    shell.spawn('pullImage', '/usr/bin/docker', [ 'pull', manifest.dockerImage ], { }, function (error) {
         if (error) {
             debug(`pullImage: Error pulling image ${manifest.dockerImage} of ${manifest.id}: ${error.message}`);
             return callback(new Error('Failed to pull image'));
diff --git a/src/shell.js b/src/shell.js
index b2fdfedcc..87dda5e54 100644
--- a/src/shell.js
+++ b/src/shell.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
 
 exports = module.exports = {
-    exec: exec,
+    spawn: spawn,
     execSync: execSync,
     sudo: sudo,
     sudoSync: sudoSync
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ function execSync(tag, cmd, callback) {
     if (callback) callback();
 }
 
-function exec(tag, file, args, options, callback) {
+function spawn(tag, file, args, options, callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof tag, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof file, 'string');
     assert(util.isArray(args));
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ function sudo(tag, args, options, callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof options, 'object');
 
     // -S makes sudo read stdin for password. -E preserves environment
-    var cp = exec(tag, SUDO, [ options.env ? '-SE' : '-S' ].concat(args), options, callback);
+    var cp = spawn(tag, SUDO, [ options.env ? '-SE' : '-S' ].concat(args), options, callback);
     cp.stdin.end();
     return cp;
 }
diff --git a/src/storage/filesystem.js b/src/storage/filesystem.js
index d95b1d30e..9c64d46ce 100644
--- a/src/storage/filesystem.js
+++ b/src/storage/filesystem.js
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ function copy(apiConfig, oldFilePath, newFilePath) {
 
         // this will hardlink backups saving space
         var cpOptions = apiConfig.noHardlinks ? '-a' : '-al';
-        shell.exec('copy', '/bin/cp', [ cpOptions, oldFilePath, newFilePath ], { }, function (error) {
+        shell.spawn('copy', '/bin/cp', [ cpOptions, oldFilePath, newFilePath ], { }, function (error) {
             if (error) return events.emit('done', new BackupsError(BackupsError.EXTERNAL_ERROR, error.message));
 
             events.emit('done', null);
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ function removeDir(apiConfig, pathPrefix) {
 
     events.emit('progress', `removeDir: ${pathPrefix}`);
 
-    shell.exec('removeDir', '/bin/rm', [ '-rf', pathPrefix ], { }, function (error) {
+    shell.spawn('removeDir', '/bin/rm', [ '-rf', pathPrefix ], { }, function (error) {
         if (error) return events.emit('done', new BackupsError(BackupsError.EXTERNAL_ERROR, error.message));
 
         events.emit('done', null);
diff --git a/src/test/shell-test.js b/src/test/shell-test.js
index 9ffbee28c..b371746c8 100644
--- a/src/test/shell-test.js
+++ b/src/test/shell-test.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ var expect = require('expect.js'),
 
 describe('shell', function () {
     it('can run valid program', function (done) {
-        var cp = shell.exec('test', 'ls', [ '-l' ], { }, function (error) {
+        var cp = shell.spawn('test', 'ls', [ '-l' ], { }, function (error) {
             expect(cp).to.be.ok();
             expect(error).to.be(null);
             done();
@@ -20,14 +20,14 @@ describe('shell', function () {
     });
 
     it('fails on invalid program', function (done) {
-        var cp = shell.exec('test', 'randomprogram', [ ], { }, function (error) {
+        var cp = shell.spawn('test', 'randomprogram', [ ], { }, function (error) {
             expect(error).to.be.ok();
             done();
         });
     });
 
     it('fails on failing program', function (done) {
-        var cp = shell.exec('test', '/usr/bin/false', [ ], { }, function (error) {
+        var cp = shell.spawn('test', '/usr/bin/false', [ ], { }, function (error) {
             expect(error).to.be.ok();
             done();
         });
diff --git a/src/updater.js b/src/updater.js
index 80cacadc7..1657c50cd 100644
--- a/src/updater.js
+++ b/src/updater.js
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ function downloadUrl(url, file, callback) {
 
         debug(`downloadUrl: curl ${args}`);
 
-        shell.exec('downloadUrl', '/usr/bin/curl', args.split(' '), { }, function (error) {
+        shell.spawn('downloadUrl', '/usr/bin/curl', args.split(' '), { }, function (error) {
             if (error) return retryCallback(new UpdaterError(UpdaterError.EXTERNAL_ERROR, `Failed to download ${url}: ${error.message}`));
 
             debug(`downloadUrl: downloadUrl ${url} to ${file}`);
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ function extractTarball(tarball, dir, callback) {
 
     debug(`extractTarball: tar ${args}`);
 
-    shell.exec('extractTarball', '/bin/tar', args.split(' '), { }, function (error) {
+    shell.spawn('extractTarball', '/bin/tar', args.split(' '), { }, function (error) {
         if (error) return callback(new UpdaterError(UpdaterError.EXTERNAL_ERROR, `Failed to extract release package: ${error.message}`));
 
         safe.fs.unlinkSync(tarball);