diff --git a/block/qcow2-cluster.c b/block/qcow2-cluster.c
index 4c03639a72..3c9ace8a96 100644
--- a/block/qcow2-cluster.c
+++ b/block/qcow2-cluster.c
@@ -403,34 +403,26 @@ int qcow2_encrypt_sectors(BDRVQcow2State *s, int64_t sector_num,
     return 0;
 }
 
-static int coroutine_fn do_perform_cow(BlockDriverState *bs,
-                                       uint64_t src_cluster_offset,
-                                       uint64_t cluster_offset,
-                                       unsigned offset_in_cluster,
-                                       unsigned bytes)
+static int coroutine_fn do_perform_cow_read(BlockDriverState *bs,
+                                            uint64_t src_cluster_offset,
+                                            unsigned offset_in_cluster,
+                                            uint8_t *buffer,
+                                            unsigned bytes)
 {
-    BDRVQcow2State *s = bs->opaque;
     QEMUIOVector qiov;
-    struct iovec iov;
+    struct iovec iov = { .iov_base = buffer, .iov_len = bytes };
     int ret;
 
     if (bytes == 0) {
         return 0;
     }
 
-    iov.iov_len = bytes;
-    iov.iov_base = qemu_try_blockalign(bs, iov.iov_len);
-    if (iov.iov_base == NULL) {
-        return -ENOMEM;
-    }
-
     qemu_iovec_init_external(&qiov, &iov, 1);
 
     BLKDBG_EVENT(bs->file, BLKDBG_COW_READ);
 
     if (!bs->drv) {
-        ret = -ENOMEDIUM;
-        goto out;
+        return -ENOMEDIUM;
     }
 
     /* Call .bdrv_co_readv() directly instead of using the public block-layer
@@ -440,39 +432,63 @@ static int coroutine_fn do_perform_cow(BlockDriverState *bs,
     ret = bs->drv->bdrv_co_preadv(bs, src_cluster_offset + offset_in_cluster,
                                   bytes, &qiov, 0);
     if (ret < 0) {
-        goto out;
+        return ret;
     }
 
-    if (bs->encrypted) {
+    return 0;
+}
+
+static bool coroutine_fn do_perform_cow_encrypt(BlockDriverState *bs,
+                                                uint64_t src_cluster_offset,
+                                                unsigned offset_in_cluster,
+                                                uint8_t *buffer,
+                                                unsigned bytes)
+{
+    if (bytes && bs->encrypted) {
+        BDRVQcow2State *s = bs->opaque;
         int64_t sector = (src_cluster_offset + offset_in_cluster)
                          >> BDRV_SECTOR_BITS;
         assert(s->cipher);
         assert((offset_in_cluster & ~BDRV_SECTOR_MASK) == 0);
         assert((bytes & ~BDRV_SECTOR_MASK) == 0);
-        if (qcow2_encrypt_sectors(s, sector, iov.iov_base, iov.iov_base,
+        if (qcow2_encrypt_sectors(s, sector, buffer, buffer,
                                   bytes >> BDRV_SECTOR_BITS, true, NULL) < 0) {
-            ret = -EIO;
-            goto out;
+            return false;
         }
     }
+    return true;
+}
+
+static int coroutine_fn do_perform_cow_write(BlockDriverState *bs,
+                                             uint64_t cluster_offset,
+                                             unsigned offset_in_cluster,
+                                             uint8_t *buffer,
+                                             unsigned bytes)
+{
+    QEMUIOVector qiov;
+    struct iovec iov = { .iov_base = buffer, .iov_len = bytes };
+    int ret;
+
+    if (bytes == 0) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    qemu_iovec_init_external(&qiov, &iov, 1);
 
     ret = qcow2_pre_write_overlap_check(bs, 0,
             cluster_offset + offset_in_cluster, bytes);
     if (ret < 0) {
-        goto out;
+        return ret;
     }
 
     BLKDBG_EVENT(bs->file, BLKDBG_COW_WRITE);
     ret = bdrv_co_pwritev(bs->file, cluster_offset + offset_in_cluster,
                           bytes, &qiov, 0);
     if (ret < 0) {
-        goto out;
+        return ret;
     }
 
-    ret = 0;
-out:
-    qemu_vfree(iov.iov_base);
-    return ret;
+    return 0;
 }
 
 
@@ -760,22 +776,62 @@ static int perform_cow(BlockDriverState *bs, QCowL2Meta *m)
     BDRVQcow2State *s = bs->opaque;
     Qcow2COWRegion *start = &m->cow_start;
     Qcow2COWRegion *end = &m->cow_end;
+    unsigned buffer_size;
+    uint8_t *start_buffer, *end_buffer;
     int ret;
 
+    assert(start->nb_bytes <= UINT_MAX - end->nb_bytes);
+
     if (start->nb_bytes == 0 && end->nb_bytes == 0) {
         return 0;
     }
 
+    /* Reserve a buffer large enough to store the data from both the
+     * start and end COW regions. Add some padding in the middle if
+     * necessary to make sure that the end region is optimally aligned */
+    buffer_size = QEMU_ALIGN_UP(start->nb_bytes, bdrv_opt_mem_align(bs)) +
+        end->nb_bytes;
+    start_buffer = qemu_try_blockalign(bs, buffer_size);
+    if (start_buffer == NULL) {
+        return -ENOMEM;
+    }
+    /* The part of the buffer where the end region is located */
+    end_buffer = start_buffer + buffer_size - end->nb_bytes;
+
     qemu_co_mutex_unlock(&s->lock);
-    ret = do_perform_cow(bs, m->offset, m->alloc_offset,
-                         start->offset, start->nb_bytes);
+    /* First we read the existing data from both COW regions */
+    ret = do_perform_cow_read(bs, m->offset, start->offset,
+                              start_buffer, start->nb_bytes);
     if (ret < 0) {
         goto fail;
     }
 
-    ret = do_perform_cow(bs, m->offset, m->alloc_offset,
-                         end->offset, end->nb_bytes);
+    ret = do_perform_cow_read(bs, m->offset, end->offset,
+                              end_buffer, end->nb_bytes);
+    if (ret < 0) {
+        goto fail;
+    }
 
+    /* Encrypt the data if necessary before writing it */
+    if (bs->encrypted) {
+        if (!do_perform_cow_encrypt(bs, m->offset, start->offset,
+                                    start_buffer, start->nb_bytes) ||
+            !do_perform_cow_encrypt(bs, m->offset, end->offset,
+                                    end_buffer, end->nb_bytes)) {
+            ret = -EIO;
+            goto fail;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /* And now we can write everything */
+    ret = do_perform_cow_write(bs, m->alloc_offset, start->offset,
+                               start_buffer, start->nb_bytes);
+    if (ret < 0) {
+        goto fail;
+    }
+
+    ret = do_perform_cow_write(bs, m->alloc_offset, end->offset,
+                               end_buffer, end->nb_bytes);
 fail:
     qemu_co_mutex_lock(&s->lock);
 
@@ -788,6 +844,7 @@ fail:
         qcow2_cache_depends_on_flush(s->l2_table_cache);
     }
 
+    qemu_vfree(start_buffer);
     return ret;
 }