diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 6cf9047d7..6265aa2ce 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -274,6 +274,10 @@
 - **The hint for reading scans on the device points to the right switch**,
   Settings, Modules, Labs, in every language.
 - **Help links open the right page** instead of going through redirects.
+- **A directory setting below `/proc` no longer freezes the server.** Node's
+  way of creating a folder with its parents loops forever there on Linux,
+  so a `DB_BACKUP_DIR` or `GEOLITE2_DIR` pointing below it stopped the
+  process. Such a directory now reads as not writable.
 
 ### Security
 
diff --git a/src/lib/database-backup/__tests__/dump-core.test.ts b/src/lib/database-backup/__tests__/dump-core.test.ts
index 6cb5c1a34..14b9cc9d8 100644
--- a/src/lib/database-backup/__tests__/dump-core.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/database-backup/__tests__/dump-core.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
  * of the rule: the restore script cannot import TypeScript, so these are the
  * tests that keep its plain-JS reading of both from drifting.
  */
+import { execFileSync } from "node:child_process";
 import {
   chmodSync,
   createReadStream,
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ import {
 import { readdir } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { join } from "node:path";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 import { Readable } from "node:stream";
 
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
@@ -53,7 +55,9 @@ import {
   selectForDeletion,
   verifyArchive,
   instanceIdFromEnv,
+  isWritableDirectory,
   listBucketDumps,
+  makeDirectory,
   type DirectoryProbe,
   type DumpSet,
   type Env,
@@ -1025,3 +1029,46 @@ describe("whether the dump directory survives the container", () => {
     );
   });
 });
+
+describe("making the backup directory", () => {
+  const root = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "hl-mkdir-"));
+  afterEach(() => {
+    for (const name of readdirSync(root)) {
+      rmSync(join(root, name), { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("creates every missing level and leaves an existing one alone", () => {
+    const dir = join(root, "a", "b", "c");
+    makeDirectory(dir);
+    expect(statSync(dir).isDirectory()).toBe(true);
+    makeDirectory(dir);
+    expect(isWritableDirectory(dir)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("answers false below a file", () => {
+    writeFileSync(join(root, "file"), "");
+    expect(isWritableDirectory(join(root, "file", "below"))).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  // Node's recursive mkdir loops forever below /proc, inside one native call,
+  // so this runs in a child with a deadline: a regression fails here instead
+  // of freezing the test worker.
+  it.runIf(process.platform === "linux")(
+    "answers false below /proc instead of hanging",
+    () => {
+      const core = fileURLToPath(new URL("../dump-core.mjs", import.meta.url));
+      const out = execFileSync(
+        process.execPath,
+        [
+          "--input-type=module",
+          "-e",
+          `const { isWritableDirectory } = await import(${JSON.stringify(core)});
+console.log(isWritableDirectory("/proc/healthlog-cannot-write-here/nested"));`,
+        ],
+        { encoding: "utf8", timeout: 10_000 },
+      );
+      expect(out.trim()).toBe("false");
+    },
+  );
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/database-backup/dump-core.mjs b/src/lib/database-backup/dump-core.mjs
index 740921876..95f17b269 100644
--- a/src/lib/database-backup/dump-core.mjs
+++ b/src/lib/database-backup/dump-core.mjs
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ import {
   statSync,
 } from "node:fs";
 import { readFile, rename, rm, stat, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
-import { basename, join } from "node:path";
+import { basename, dirname, join, resolve } from "node:path";
 import { pipeline } from "node:stream/promises";
 import { createGunzip } from "node:zlib";
 
@@ -208,6 +208,41 @@ export function resolveBackupSchedule(env = process.env) {
   };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Create `dir` and its missing parents, one level at a time from the nearest
+ * one that exists. Throws what `mkdir` throws.
+ *
+ * Not `mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true })`: on Linux, below a pseudo file
+ * system such as `/proc`, the child answers ENOENT while its parent answers
+ * EEXIST, and Node's recursive walk retries that pair forever inside one
+ * native call, so no timer, signal handler or test timeout ever runs again.
+ * A `DB_BACKUP_DIR` set to such a path froze the worker. Here every level is
+ * one plain `mkdir`, and the walk is as long as the path.
+ *
+ * @param {string} dir
+ */
+export function makeDirectory(dir) {
+  /** @type {string[]} */
+  const missing = [];
+  let current = resolve(dir);
+  while (!existsSync(current)) {
+    missing.push(current);
+    const parent = dirname(current);
+    if (parent === current) break;
+    current = parent;
+  }
+  for (const path of missing.reverse()) {
+    try {
+      mkdirSync(path);
+    } catch (err) {
+      // Created in between by someone else: that is what was wanted.
+      if (/** @type {NodeJS.ErrnoException} */ (err).code !== "EEXIST") {
+        throw err;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Whether `dir` exists (or can be created) and this process may write in it.
  * Never throws.
@@ -216,7 +251,7 @@ export function resolveBackupSchedule(env = process.env) {
  */
 export function isWritableDirectory(dir) {
   try {
-    mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true });
+    makeDirectory(dir);
     if (!statSync(dir).isDirectory()) return false;
     accessSync(dir, fsConstants.W_OK | fsConstants.X_OK);
     return true;
diff --git a/src/lib/geo/__tests__/geolite2-fetch.test.ts b/src/lib/geo/__tests__/geolite2-fetch.test.ts
index f9ea0572d..d6e50c542 100644
--- a/src/lib/geo/__tests__/geolite2-fetch.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/geo/__tests__/geolite2-fetch.test.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ vi.mock("@/lib/geo", async (importOriginal) => {
 import {
   buildMaxmindDownloadUrl,
   fetchGeoLite2Databases,
+  makeDirectory,
   MAXMIND_DOWNLOAD_BASE,
 } from "@/lib/geo/geolite2-fetch";
 
@@ -282,3 +283,28 @@ describe("fetchGeoLite2Databases — gating", () => {
     );
   });
 });
+
+describe("makeDirectory", () => {
+  it("creates every missing level and accepts an existing one", async () => {
+    const root = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "hl-geo-mkdir-"));
+    try {
+      const dir = path.join(root, "a", "b");
+      await makeDirectory(dir);
+      await makeDirectory(dir);
+      expect(fs.statSync(dir).isDirectory()).toBe(true);
+    } finally {
+      fs.rmSync(root, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+
+  // The recursive form never settles below /proc; this one rejects.
+  it.runIf(process.platform === "linux")(
+    "rejects below /proc instead of never settling",
+    async () => {
+      await expect(
+        makeDirectory("/proc/healthlog-cannot-write-here/nested"),
+      ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "ENOENT" });
+    },
+    5_000,
+  );
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/geo/geolite2-fetch.ts b/src/lib/geo/geolite2-fetch.ts
index 86106b1b4..c520781dd 100644
--- a/src/lib/geo/geolite2-fetch.ts
+++ b/src/lib/geo/geolite2-fetch.ts
@@ -227,6 +227,37 @@ async function downloadAndExtractEdition(
   return tmpDest;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Create `dir` and its missing parents one level at a time. Not
+ * `fsp.mkdir(dir, { recursive: true })`: below `/proc` on Linux Node's
+ * recursive walk retries ENOENT/EEXIST forever and the promise never settles.
+ * Same walk as `makeDirectory` in `src/lib/database-backup/dump-core.mjs`,
+ * which this module cannot import (its `child_process` import would undo the
+ * bounded trace described above).
+ */
+export async function makeDirectory(dir: string): Promise<void> {
+  const missing: string[] = [];
+  let current = path.resolve(dir);
+  for (;;) {
+    try {
+      await fsp.stat(current);
+      break;
+    } catch {
+      missing.push(current);
+      const parent = path.dirname(current);
+      if (parent === current) break;
+      current = parent;
+    }
+  }
+  for (const p of missing.reverse()) {
+    try {
+      await fsp.mkdir(p);
+    } catch (err) {
+      if ((err as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code !== "EEXIST") throw err;
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Fetch both GeoLite2 databases and place them in `geoLiteDir()`.
  *
@@ -255,7 +286,7 @@ export async function fetchGeoLite2Databases(
 
   const dir = geoLiteDir();
   try {
-    await fsp.mkdir(dir, { recursive: true });
+    await makeDirectory(dir);
   } catch (err) {
     return fail(`geolite2 directory not writable (${dir})`, err);
   }