diff --git a/virtcontainers/acrn.go b/virtcontainers/acrn.go
index 7fdb831bb1..877ff166aa 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/acrn.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/acrn.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ package virtcontainers
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
@@ -16,13 +15,15 @@ import (
 	"syscall"
 	"time"
 
+	opentracing "github.com/opentracing/opentracing-go"
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+
 	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/device/config"
 	persistapi "github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/persist/api"
 	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/store"
 	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/types"
 	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/utils"
-	opentracing "github.com/opentracing/opentracing-go"
-	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
 // AcrnState keeps Acrn's state
@@ -648,3 +649,11 @@ func (a *acrn) load(s persistapi.HypervisorState) {
 	a.info.PID = s.Pid
 	a.state.UUID = s.UUID
 }
+
+func (a *acrn) check() error {
+	if err := syscall.Kill(a.pid(), syscall.Signal(0)); err != nil {
+		return errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to ping acrn process")
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/virtcontainers/fc.go b/virtcontainers/fc.go
index 2ef5ffc594..f8bc56285d 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/fc.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/fc.go
@@ -1006,3 +1006,11 @@ func (fc *firecracker) save() (s persistapi.HypervisorState) {
 func (fc *firecracker) load(s persistapi.HypervisorState) {
 	fc.info.PID = s.Pid
 }
+
+func (fc *firecracker) check() error {
+	if err := syscall.Kill(fc.pid(), syscall.Signal(0)); err != nil {
+		return errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to ping fc process")
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/virtcontainers/hypervisor.go b/virtcontainers/hypervisor.go
index f12595328b..4a795f7bac 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/hypervisor.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/hypervisor.go
@@ -671,6 +671,7 @@ type hypervisor interface {
 	pid() int
 	fromGrpc(ctx context.Context, hypervisorConfig *HypervisorConfig, store *store.VCStore, j []byte) error
 	toGrpc() ([]byte, error)
+	check() error
 
 	save() persistapi.HypervisorState
 	load(persistapi.HypervisorState)
diff --git a/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor.go b/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor.go
index 1c198f47bd..90611aeb75 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor.go
@@ -121,3 +121,7 @@ func (m *mockHypervisor) save() (s persistapi.HypervisorState) {
 }
 
 func (m *mockHypervisor) load(s persistapi.HypervisorState) {}
+
+func (m *mockHypervisor) check() error {
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor_test.go b/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor_test.go
index 77279ef22e..efcee1c808 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor_test.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor_test.go
@@ -82,3 +82,9 @@ func TestMockHypervisorDisconnect(t *testing.T) {
 
 	m.disconnect()
 }
+
+func TestMockHypervisorCheck(t *testing.T) {
+	var m *mockHypervisor
+
+	assert.NoError(t, m.check())
+}
diff --git a/virtcontainers/monitor.go b/virtcontainers/monitor.go
index 25c55f4250..ff5b4d0348 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/monitor.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/monitor.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ package virtcontainers
 
 import (
 	"sync"
-	"syscall"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -127,7 +126,7 @@ func (m *monitor) watchAgent() {
 }
 
 func (m *monitor) watchHypervisor() error {
-	if err := syscall.Kill(m.sandbox.hypervisor.pid(), syscall.Signal(0)); err != nil {
+	if err := m.sandbox.hypervisor.check(); err != nil {
 		m.notify(errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to ping hypervisor process"))
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/virtcontainers/qemu.go b/virtcontainers/qemu.go
index 1366e39bd3..c36bd5bbb9 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/qemu.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/qemu.go
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"encoding/json"
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"math"
@@ -24,17 +23,17 @@ import (
 	"unsafe"
 
 	govmmQemu "github.com/intel/govmm/qemu"
-	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/pkg/uuid"
 	"github.com/opentracing/opentracing-go"
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 
 	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/device/config"
 	persistapi "github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/persist/api"
+	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/pkg/uuid"
 	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/store"
 	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/types"
 	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/utils"
-
-	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 )
 
 // romFile is the file name of the ROM that can be used for virtio-pci devices.
@@ -2015,3 +2014,21 @@ func (q *qemu) load(s persistapi.HypervisorState) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func (q *qemu) check() error {
+	err := q.qmpSetup()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	status, err := q.qmpMonitorCh.qmp.ExecuteQueryStatus(q.qmpMonitorCh.ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if status.Status == "internal-error" || status.Status == "guest-panicked" {
+		return errors.Errorf("guest failure: %s", status.Status)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}