diff --git a/contrib/epee/src/memwipe.c b/contrib/epee/src/memwipe.c
index 870c69757..9a83e67e8 100644
--- a/contrib/epee/src/memwipe.c
+++ b/contrib/epee/src/memwipe.c
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 #define __STDC_WANT_LIB_EXT1__ 1
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
 #ifdef HAVE_EXPLICIT_BZERO
 #include <strings.h>
 #endif
@@ -50,7 +51,12 @@ void *memwipe(void *ptr, size_t n)
 {
   if (memset_s(ptr, n, 0, n))
   {
+#ifdef NDEBUG
+    fprintf(stderr, "Error: memset_s failed\n");
+    _exit(1);
+#else
     abort();
+#endif
   }
   SCARECROW // might as well...
   return ptr;
diff --git a/external/db_drivers/liblmdb/mdb.c b/external/db_drivers/liblmdb/mdb.c
index 87b244ce7..bb0420453 100644
--- a/external/db_drivers/liblmdb/mdb.c
+++ b/external/db_drivers/liblmdb/mdb.c
@@ -1635,7 +1635,11 @@ mdb_assert_fail(MDB_env *env, const char *expr_txt,
 	if (env->me_assert_func)
 		env->me_assert_func(env, buf);
 	fprintf(stderr, "%s\n", buf);
+#ifdef NDEBUG
+	_exit();
+#else
 	abort();
+#endif
 }
 #else
 # define mdb_assert0(env, expr, expr_txt) ((void) 0)
diff --git a/external/easylogging++/easylogging++.cc b/external/easylogging++/easylogging++.cc
index 57742b2e5..212a1822d 100644
--- a/external/easylogging++/easylogging++.cc
+++ b/external/easylogging++/easylogging++.cc
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 #define EASYLOGGING_CC
 #include "easylogging++.h"
 
+#include <unistd.h>
+
 #if defined(AUTO_INITIALIZE_EASYLOGGINGPP)
 INITIALIZE_EASYLOGGINGPP
 #endif
@@ -35,8 +37,12 @@ static void abort(int status, const std::string& reason) {
 #if defined(ELPP_COMPILER_MSVC) && defined(_M_IX86) && defined(_DEBUG)
   // Ignore msvc critical error dialog - break instead (on debug mode)
   _asm int 3
+#else
+#ifdef NDEBUG
+  ::_exit(1);
 #else
   ::abort();
+#endif
 #endif  // defined(ELPP_COMPILER_MSVC) && defined(_M_IX86) && defined(_DEBUG)
 }
 
diff --git a/src/crypto/crypto.cpp b/src/crypto/crypto.cpp
index b28854a13..d9b8b6787 100644
--- a/src/crypto/crypto.cpp
+++ b/src/crypto/crypto.cpp
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 // 
 // Parts of this file are originally copyright (c) 2012-2013 The Cryptonote developers
 
+#include <unistd.h>
 #include <cassert>
 #include <cstddef>
 #include <cstdint>
@@ -43,6 +44,18 @@
 #include "crypto.h"
 #include "hash.h"
 
+namespace {
+  static void local_abort(const char *msg)
+  {
+    fprintf(stderr, "%s\n", msg);
+#ifdef NDEBUG
+    _exit(1);
+#else
+    abort();
+#endif
+  }
+}
+
 namespace crypto {
 
   using std::abort;
@@ -467,7 +480,7 @@ POP_WARNINGS
     ec_scalar sum, k, h;
     boost::shared_ptr<rs_comm> buf(reinterpret_cast<rs_comm *>(malloc(rs_comm_size(pubs_count))), free);
     if (!buf)
-      abort();
+      local_abort("malloc failure");
     assert(sec_index < pubs_count);
 #if !defined(NDEBUG)
     {
@@ -486,7 +499,7 @@ POP_WARNINGS
     }
 #endif
     if (ge_frombytes_vartime(&image_unp, &image) != 0) {
-      abort();
+      local_abort("invalid key image");
     }
     ge_dsm_precomp(image_pre, &image_unp);
     sc_0(&sum);
@@ -505,7 +518,7 @@ POP_WARNINGS
         random_scalar(sig[i].c);
         random_scalar(sig[i].r);
         if (ge_frombytes_vartime(&tmp3, &*pubs[i]) != 0) {
-          abort();
+          local_abort("invalid pubkey");
         }
         ge_double_scalarmult_base_vartime(&tmp2, &sig[i].c, &tmp3, &sig[i].r);
         ge_tobytes(&buf->ab[i].a, &tmp2);
diff --git a/src/crypto/keccak.c b/src/crypto/keccak.c
index fc6d487c2..528a5406b 100644
--- a/src/crypto/keccak.c
+++ b/src/crypto/keccak.c
@@ -4,9 +4,20 @@
 
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
 #include "hash-ops.h"
 #include "keccak.h"
 
+static void local_abort(const char *msg)
+{
+  fprintf(stderr, "%s\n", msg);
+#ifdef NDEBUG
+  _exit(1);
+#else
+  abort();
+#endif
+}
+
 const uint64_t keccakf_rndc[24] = 
 {
     0x0000000000000001, 0x0000000000008082, 0x800000000000808a,
@@ -83,8 +94,7 @@ void keccak(const uint8_t *in, size_t inlen, uint8_t *md, int mdlen)
 
     if (mdlen <= 0 || mdlen > 200 || sizeof(st) != 200)
     {
-      fprintf(stderr, "Bad keccak use");
-      abort();
+      local_abort("Bad keccak use");
     }
 
     rsiz = sizeof(state_t) == mdlen ? HASH_DATA_AREA : 200 - 2 * mdlen;
@@ -101,8 +111,7 @@ void keccak(const uint8_t *in, size_t inlen, uint8_t *md, int mdlen)
     // last block and padding
     if (inlen >= sizeof(temp) || inlen > rsiz || rsiz - inlen + inlen + 1 >= sizeof(temp) || rsiz == 0 || rsiz - 1 >= sizeof(temp) || rsizw * 8 > sizeof(temp))
     {
-      fprintf(stderr, "Bad keccak use");
-      abort();
+      local_abort("Bad keccak use");
     }
 
     memcpy(temp, in, inlen);
diff --git a/src/crypto/random.c b/src/crypto/random.c
index cd46a1362..929377943 100644
--- a/src/crypto/random.c
+++ b/src/crypto/random.c
@@ -45,7 +45,11 @@ static void generate_system_random_bytes(size_t n, void *result);
 
 static void generate_system_random_bytes(size_t n, void *result) {
   HCRYPTPROV prov;
+#ifdef NDEBUG
+#define must_succeed(x) do if (!(x)) { fprintf(stderr, "Failed: " #x); _exit(1); } while (0)
+#else
 #define must_succeed(x) do if (!(x)) abort(); while (0)
+#endif
   must_succeed(CryptAcquireContext(&prov, NULL, NULL, PROV_RSA_FULL, CRYPT_VERIFYCONTEXT | CRYPT_SILENT));
   must_succeed(CryptGenRandom(prov, (DWORD)n, result));
   must_succeed(CryptReleaseContext(prov, 0));