diff --git a/linux-user/main.c b/linux-user/main.c
index 7e704845c0..66c909a1a6 100644
--- a/linux-user/main.c
+++ b/linux-user/main.c
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 #include "trace/control.h"
 #include "target_elf.h"
 #include "cpu_loop-common.h"
+#include "crypto/init.h"
 
 char *exec_path;
 
@@ -688,17 +689,26 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     if (seed_optarg == NULL) {
         seed_optarg = getenv("QEMU_RAND_SEED");
     }
-    if (seed_optarg != NULL) {
-        unsigned long long seed;
+    {
+        Error *err = NULL;
+        if (seed_optarg != NULL) {
+            unsigned long long seed;
 
-        /* This will go away with the last user of rand(). */
-        if (parse_uint_full(seed_optarg, &seed, 0) != 0) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "Invalid seed number: %s\n", seed_optarg);
-            exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+            /* This will go away with the last user of rand(). */
+            if (parse_uint_full(seed_optarg, &seed, 0) != 0) {
+                fprintf(stderr, "Invalid seed number: %s\n", seed_optarg);
+                exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+            }
+            srand(seed);
+
+            qemu_guest_random_seed_main(seed_optarg, &err);
+        } else {
+            qcrypto_init(&err);
+        }
+        if (err) {
+            error_reportf_err(err, "cannot initialize crypto: ");
+            exit(1);
         }
-        srand(seed);
-
-        qemu_guest_random_seed_main(seed_optarg, &error_fatal);
     }
 
     target_environ = envlist_to_environ(envlist, NULL);