diff --git a/archival/ar.c b/archival/ar.c
index 71f949e79..320cbae72 100644
--- a/archival/ar.c
+++ b/archival/ar.c
@@ -196,9 +196,10 @@ static int write_ar_archive(archive_handle_t *handle)
 
 static void FAST_FUNC header_verbose_list_ar(const file_header_t *file_header)
 {
-	const char *mode = bb_mode_string(file_header->mode);
+	char mode[12];
 	char *mtime;
 
+	bb_mode_string(mode, file_header->mode);
 	mtime = ctime(&file_header->mtime);
 	mtime[16] = ' ';
 	memmove(&mtime[17], &mtime[20], 4);
diff --git a/archival/libarchive/header_verbose_list.c b/archival/libarchive/header_verbose_list.c
index be5140f8b..a575a08a0 100644
--- a/archival/libarchive/header_verbose_list.c
+++ b/archival/libarchive/header_verbose_list.c
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ void FAST_FUNC header_verbose_list(const file_header_t *file_header)
 {
 	struct tm tm_time;
 	struct tm *ptm = &tm_time; //localtime(&file_header->mtime);
+	char modestr[12];
 
 #if ENABLE_FEATURE_TAR_UNAME_GNAME
 	char uid[sizeof(int)*3 + 2];
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ void FAST_FUNC header_verbose_list(const file_header_t *file_header)
 		group = utoa(file_header->gid);
 	}
 	printf("%s %s/%s %9"OFF_FMT"u %4u-%02u-%02u %02u:%02u:%02u %s",
-		bb_mode_string(file_header->mode),
+		bb_mode_string(modestr, file_header->mode),
 		user,
 		group,
 		file_header->size,
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ void FAST_FUNC header_verbose_list(const file_header_t *file_header)
 	localtime_r(&file_header->mtime, ptm);
 
 	printf("%s %u/%u %9"OFF_FMT"u %4u-%02u-%02u %02u:%02u:%02u %s",
-		bb_mode_string(file_header->mode),
+		bb_mode_string(modestr, file_header->mode),
 		(unsigned)file_header->uid,
 		(unsigned)file_header->gid,
 		file_header->size,
diff --git a/coreutils/chmod.c b/coreutils/chmod.c
index 8e3e1387e..5832cc51b 100644
--- a/coreutils/chmod.c
+++ b/coreutils/chmod.c
@@ -91,8 +91,9 @@ static int FAST_FUNC fileAction(struct recursive_state *state,
 		 || (OPT_CHANGED
 		     && (statbuf->st_mode & 07777) != (newmode & 07777))
 		) {
+			char modestr[12];
 			printf("mode of '%s' changed to %04o (%s)\n", fileName,
-				newmode & 07777, bb_mode_string(newmode)+1);
+				newmode & 07777, bb_mode_string(modestr, newmode)+1);
 		}
 		return TRUE;
 	}
diff --git a/coreutils/ls.c b/coreutils/ls.c
index 9e8561606..9a1264e65 100644
--- a/coreutils/ls.c
+++ b/coreutils/ls.c
@@ -503,7 +503,8 @@ static NOINLINE unsigned display_single(const struct dnode *dn)
 		column += printf("%6"OFF_FMT"u ", (off_t) (dn->dn_blocks >> 1));
 	if (opt & OPT_l) {
 		/* long listing: show mode */
-		column += printf("%-10s ", (char *) bb_mode_string(dn->dn_mode));
+		char modestr[12];
+		column += printf("%-10s ", (char *) bb_mode_string(modestr, dn->dn_mode));
 		/* long listing: show number of links */
 		column += printf("%4lu ", (long) dn->dn_nlink);
 		/* long listing: show user/group */
diff --git a/coreutils/stat.c b/coreutils/stat.c
index a8393468e..2c2909e7e 100644
--- a/coreutils/stat.c
+++ b/coreutils/stat.c
@@ -339,7 +339,8 @@ static void FAST_FUNC print_stat(char *pformat, const char m,
 		strcat(pformat, "lo");
 		printf(pformat, (unsigned long) (statbuf->st_mode & (S_ISUID|S_ISGID|S_ISVTX|S_IRWXU|S_IRWXG|S_IRWXO)));
 	} else if (m == 'A') {
-		printfs(pformat, bb_mode_string(statbuf->st_mode));
+		char modestr[12];
+		printfs(pformat, bb_mode_string(modestr, statbuf->st_mode));
 	} else if (m == 'f') {
 		strcat(pformat, "lx");
 		printf(pformat, (unsigned long) statbuf->st_mode);
@@ -702,6 +703,7 @@ static bool do_stat(const char *filename, const char *format)
 			bb_putchar('\n');
 # endif
 	} else {
+		char modestr[12];
 		char *linkname = NULL;
 		struct passwd *pw_ent;
 		struct group *gw_ent;
@@ -736,7 +738,7 @@ static bool do_stat(const char *filename, const char *format)
 			bb_putchar('\n');
 		printf("Access: (%04lo/%10.10s)  Uid: (%5lu/%8s)   Gid: (%5lu/%8s)\n",
 		       (unsigned long) (statbuf.st_mode & (S_ISUID|S_ISGID|S_ISVTX|S_IRWXU|S_IRWXG|S_IRWXO)),
-		       bb_mode_string(statbuf.st_mode),
+		       bb_mode_string(modestr, statbuf.st_mode),
 		       (unsigned long) statbuf.st_uid,
 		       (pw_ent != NULL) ? pw_ent->pw_name : "UNKNOWN",
 		       (unsigned long) statbuf.st_gid,
diff --git a/include/libbb.h b/include/libbb.h
index 6727c22b2..b0312e5d4 100644
--- a/include/libbb.h
+++ b/include/libbb.h
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ void *xmmap_anon(size_t size) FAST_FUNC;
 
 
 //TODO: supply a pointer to char[11] buffer (avoid statics)?
-extern const char *bb_mode_string(mode_t mode) FAST_FUNC;
+extern char *bb_mode_string(char buf[12], mode_t mode) FAST_FUNC;
 extern int is_directory(const char *name, int followLinks) FAST_FUNC;
 enum {	/* cp.c, mv.c, install.c depend on these values. CAREFUL when changing them! */
 	FILEUTILS_PRESERVE_STATUS = 1 << 0, /* -p */
diff --git a/libbb/mode_string.c b/libbb/mode_string.c
index 9a286f3ff..2b829016f 100644
--- a/libbb/mode_string.c
+++ b/libbb/mode_string.c
@@ -43,9 +43,8 @@ static const char type_chars[16] ALIGN1 = "?pc?d?b?-?l?s???";
 /***************************************** 0123456789abcdef */
 static const char mode_chars[7] ALIGN1 = "rwxSTst";
 
-const char* FAST_FUNC bb_mode_string(mode_t mode)
+char* FAST_FUNC bb_mode_string(char buf[12], mode_t mode)
 {
-	static char buf[12];
 	char *p = buf;
 
 	int i, j, k;
@@ -83,9 +82,8 @@ static const char type_chars[16] ALIGN1 = "?pc?d?b?-?l?s???";
 /********************************** 0123456789abcdef */
 static const char mode_chars[7] ALIGN1 = "rwxSTst";
 
-const char* FAST_FUNC bb_mode_string(mode_t mode)
+char* FAST_FUNC bb_mode_string(char buf[12], mode_t mode)
 {
-	static char buf[12];
 	char *p = buf;
 
 	int i, j, k, m;