diff --git a/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HBaseClassTestRule.java b/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HBaseClassTestRule.java
index 0880ad08ba8..16bce3e48b0 100644
--- a/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HBaseClassTestRule.java
+++ b/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HBaseClassTestRule.java
@@ -66,6 +66,8 @@ public final class HBaseClassTestRule implements TestRule {
 
   private final Timeout timeout;
 
+  private final SystemExitRule systemExitRule = new SystemExitRule();
+
   private HBaseClassTestRule(Class<?> clazz, Timeout timeout) {
     this.clazz = clazz;
     this.timeout = timeout;
@@ -161,6 +163,7 @@ public final class HBaseClassTestRule implements TestRule {
 
   @Override
   public Statement apply(Statement base, Description description) {
-    return timeout.apply(base, description);
+    return timeout.apply(systemExitRule.apply(base, description), description);
   }
+
 }
diff --git a/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/SystemExitRule.java b/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/SystemExitRule.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d2c9f262781
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/SystemExitRule.java
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+ * distributed with this work for additional information
+ * regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+ * to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+ * "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+ * with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.apache.hadoop.hbase;
+
+import org.junit.rules.TestRule;
+import org.junit.runner.Description;
+import org.junit.runners.model.Statement;
+
+/*
+* Test rules to prevent System.exit or Runtime.halt from exiting
+* the JVM - instead an exception is thrown.
+* */
+public class SystemExitRule implements TestRule {
+  final static SecurityManager securityManager = new TestSecurityManager();
+
+  @Override
+  public Statement apply(final Statement s, Description d) {
+    return new Statement() {
+      @Override public void evaluate() throws Throwable {
+
+        try {
+          forbidSystemExitCall();
+          s.evaluate();
+        } finally {
+          System.setSecurityManager(null);
+        }
+      }
+
+    };
+  };
+
+   // Exiting the JVM is not allowed in tests and this exception is thrown instead
+   // when it is done
+  public static class SystemExitInTestException extends SecurityException {
+  }
+
+  private static void forbidSystemExitCall() {
+    System.setSecurityManager(securityManager);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/TestSecurityManager.java b/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/TestSecurityManager.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..030efa97709
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/TestSecurityManager.java
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+ * distributed with this work for additional information
+ * regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+ * to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+ * "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+ * with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.apache.hadoop.hbase;
+
+import java.io.FileDescriptor;
+import java.net.InetAddress;
+import java.security.Permission;
+
+/*
+* A security manager for policing tests.
+* Note: some tests will override the security manager to use there own
+* TODO: Look at still using this in those tests
+* */
+public class TestSecurityManager extends SecurityManager {
+  @Override
+  public void checkExit(int status) {
+    throw new SystemExitRule.SystemExitInTestException();
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkPermission(Permission permission) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkPermission(Permission var1, Object var2) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkSecurityAccess(String var1) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkConnect(String var1, int var2, Object var3) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkWrite(String var1) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkDelete(String var1) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkConnect(String var1, int var2) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkLink(String var1) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkRead(FileDescriptor var1) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkAccess(Thread var1) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkAccess(ThreadGroup var1) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkCreateClassLoader() {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkListen(int var1) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkAccept(String var1, int var2) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkMulticast(InetAddress var1) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkMulticast(InetAddress var1, byte var2) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkPropertiesAccess() {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkPropertyAccess(String var1) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkPackageAccess(String var1) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkPackageDefinition(String var1) {
+
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void checkSetFactory() {
+
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/TestSystemExitInTest.java b/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/TestSystemExitInTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..803d46b499d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/TestSystemExitInTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+/**
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+ * distributed with this work for additional information
+ * regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+ * to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+ * "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+ * with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.apache.hadoop.hbase;
+
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.testclassification.MiscTests;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.testclassification.SmallTests;
+import org.junit.ClassRule;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.experimental.categories.Category;
+
+@Category({MiscTests.class, SmallTests.class})
+public class TestSystemExitInTest {
+
+  @ClassRule
+  public static final HBaseClassTestRule CLASS_RULE =
+      HBaseClassTestRule.forClass(TestSystemExitInTest.class);
+
+
+  @Test(expected = SystemExitRule.SystemExitInTestException.class)
+  public void testSystemExit() {
+    System.exit(1);
+  }
+
+}