diff -r 5bc6d078fb2c -r 6195c92262a2 src/server/daemon/webserver.c
--- a/src/server/daemon/webserver.c	Sun Jun 23 13:49:17 2013 +0200
+++ b/src/server/daemon/webserver.c	Sun Jun 23 13:51:49 2013 +0200
@@ -97,7 +97,31 @@
     // set global vars
     conf_global_vars_s *vars = conf_getglobals();
     
+    uid_t ws_uid = geteuid();
     setpwent();
+    char *pwbuf = malloc(DEF_PWBUF);
+    vars->Vuserpw = malloc(sizeof(struct passwd));
+    if(cfg->user.ptr) {
+        if(!util_getpwnam(cfg->user.ptr, vars->Vuserpw, pwbuf, DEF_PWBUF)) {
+            log_ereport(
+                    LOG_MISCONFIG,
+                    "user %s does not exist!",
+                    cfg->user.ptr);
+            free(vars->Vuserpw);
+            vars->Vuserpw = NULL;
+        }
+    } else {
+        if(!util_getpwuid(ws_uid, vars->Vuserpw, pwbuf, DEF_PWBUF)) {
+            log_ereport(LOG_FAILURE, "webserver_init: cannot get passwd data");
+            free(vars->Vuserpw);
+            vars->Vuserpw = NULL;
+        }
+    }
+    free(pwbuf);
+    if(!vars->Vuserpw) {
+        log_ereport(LOG_WARN, "globalvars->Vuserpw is null");
+    }
+    
     if(cfg->user.ptr) {
         char *pwbuf = malloc(DEF_PWBUF);
         vars->Vuserpw = malloc(sizeof(struct passwd));
@@ -116,7 +140,7 @@
     }
 
     // change uid
-    if(vars->Vuserpw && geteuid() == 0) {
+    if(vars->Vuserpw && ws_uid == 0) {
         // a webserver user is set and we are root
         
         if(setgid(vars->Vuserpw->pw_gid) != 0) {