diff --git a/src/Desc.cc b/src/Desc.cc
index baf3ad1160..b73f8ca8cd 100644
--- a/src/Desc.cc
+++ b/src/Desc.cc
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ ODesc::ODesc(desc_type t, BroFile* arg_f)
 	want_quotes = 0;
 	do_flush = 1;
 	include_stats = 0;
+	escape = 0;
+	escape_len = 0;
 	}
 
 ODesc::~ODesc()
@@ -54,6 +56,12 @@ ODesc::~ODesc()
 		free(base);
 	}
 
+void ODesc::SetEscape(const char* arg_escape, int len)
+	{
+	escape = arg_escape;
+	escape_len = len;
+	}
+
 void ODesc::PushIndent()
 	{
 	++indent_level;
@@ -183,8 +191,44 @@ void ODesc::Indent()
 		Add("\t", 0);
 	}
 
+static const char hex_chars[] = "0123456789ABCDEF";
 
 void ODesc::AddBytes(const void* bytes, unsigned int n)
+	{
+	if ( ! escape )
+		return AddBytesRaw(bytes, n);
+
+	const char* s = (const char*) bytes;
+	const char* e = (const char*) bytes + n;
+
+	while ( s < e )
+		{
+		const char* t = (const char*) memchr(s, escape[0], e - s);
+
+		if ( ! t )
+			break;
+
+		if ( memcmp(t, escape, escape_len) != 0 )
+			break;
+
+		AddBytesRaw(s, t - s);
+
+		for ( int i = 0; i < escape_len; ++i )
+			{
+			char hex[5] = "\\x00";
+			hex[2] = hex_chars[(*t) >> 4];
+			hex[3] = hex_chars[(*t) & 0x0f];
+			AddBytesRaw(hex, sizeof(hex));
+			++t;
+			}
+
+		s = t;
+		}
+
+	AddBytesRaw(s, e - s);
+	}
+
+void ODesc::AddBytesRaw(const void* bytes, unsigned int n)
 	{
 	if ( n == 0 )
 		return;
diff --git a/src/Desc.h b/src/Desc.h
index 49b331d51b..55891223cc 100644
--- a/src/Desc.h
+++ b/src/Desc.h
@@ -49,6 +49,9 @@ public:
 
 	void SetFlush(int arg_do_flush)	{ do_flush = arg_do_flush; }
 
+	// The string passed in must remain valid as long as this object lives.
+	void SetEscape(const char* escape, int len);
+
 	void PushIndent();
 	void PopIndent();
 	int GetIndentLevel() const	{ return indent_level; }
@@ -93,6 +96,9 @@ public:
 				Add("\n", 0);
 			}
 
+	// Bypasses the escaping enabled via SetEscape().
+	void AddRaw(const char* s, int len)	{ AddBytesRaw(s, len); }
+
 	// Returns the description as a string.
 	const char* Description() const		{ return (const char*) base; }
 
@@ -115,6 +121,7 @@ protected:
 	void Indent();
 
 	void AddBytes(const void* bytes, unsigned int n);
+	void AddBytesRaw(const void* bytes, unsigned int n);
 
 	// Make buffer big enough for n bytes beyond bufp.
 	void Grow(unsigned int n);
@@ -128,6 +135,9 @@ protected:
 	unsigned int offset;	// where we are in the buffer
 	unsigned int size;	// size of buffer in bytes
 
+	int escape_len;	// number of bytes in to escape sequence
+	const char* escape;	// bytes to escape on output
+
 	BroFile* f;	// or the file we're using.
 
 	int indent_level;
diff --git a/src/LogWriterAscii.cc b/src/LogWriterAscii.cc
index d5e550aa91..050616efd4 100644
--- a/src/LogWriterAscii.cc
+++ b/src/LogWriterAscii.cc
@@ -11,7 +11,10 @@ LogWriterAscii::LogWriterAscii()
 
 	output_to_stdout = BifConst::LogAscii::output_to_stdout;
 	include_header = BifConst::LogAscii::include_header;
-	separator = strdup(BifConst::LogAscii::separator->CheckString());
+
+	separator_len = BifConst::LogAscii::separator->Len();
+	separator = new char[separator_len];
+	memcpy(separator, BifConst::LogAscii::separator->Bytes(), separator_len);
 	}
 
 LogWriterAscii::~LogWriterAscii()
@@ -19,7 +22,7 @@ LogWriterAscii::~LogWriterAscii()
 	if ( file )
 		fclose(file);
 
-	free(separator);
+	delete [] separator;
 	}
 
 bool LogWriterAscii::DoInit(string path, int num_fields, const LogField* const * fields)
@@ -46,7 +49,7 @@ bool LogWriterAscii::DoInit(string path, int num_fields, const LogField* const *
 			if ( fputs(field->name.c_str(), file) == EOF )
 				goto write_error;
 
-			if ( fputs(separator, file) == EOF )
+			if ( fwrite(separator, separator_len, 1, file) != 1 )
 				goto write_error;
 			}
 
@@ -74,11 +77,12 @@ void LogWriterAscii::DoFinish()
 bool LogWriterAscii::DoWrite(int num_fields, const LogField* const * fields, LogVal** vals)
 	{
 	ODesc desc(DESC_READABLE);
+	desc.SetEscape(separator, separator_len);
 
 	for ( int i = 0; i < num_fields; i++ )
 		{
 		if ( i > 0 )
-			desc.Add(separator);
+			desc.AddRaw(separator, separator_len);
 
 		LogVal* val = vals[i];
 		const LogField* field = fields[i];
diff --git a/src/LogWriterAscii.h b/src/LogWriterAscii.h
index 0f42874da6..04968e1a8b 100644
--- a/src/LogWriterAscii.h
+++ b/src/LogWriterAscii.h
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ private:
 	bool output_to_stdout;
 	bool include_header;
 	char* separator;
+	int separator_len;
 };
 
 #endif
diff --git a/testing/btest/Baseline/logging.ascii-escape/ssh.log b/testing/btest/Baseline/logging.ascii-escape/ssh.log
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9892e1aeee
Binary files /dev/null and b/testing/btest/Baseline/logging.ascii-escape/ssh.log differ
diff --git a/testing/btest/logging/ascii-escape.bro b/testing/btest/logging/ascii-escape.bro
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1789c1bb63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testing/btest/logging/ascii-escape.bro
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+#
+# @TEST-EXEC: bro %INPUT 
+# @TEST-EXEC: btest-diff ssh.log
+
+redef LogAscii::separator = "||";
+
+module SSH;
+
+export {
+	redef enum Log::ID += { SSH };
+
+	type Log: record {
+		t: time;
+		id: conn_id; # Will be rolled out into individual columns.
+		status: string &optional;
+		country: string &default="unknown";
+	};
+}
+
+event bro_init()
+{
+	Log::create_stream(SSH, [$columns=Log]);
+
+    local cid = [$orig_h=1.2.3.4, $orig_p=1234/tcp, $resp_h=2.3.4.5, $resp_p=80/tcp];
+
+	Log::write(SSH, [$t=network_time(), $id=cid, $status="success"]);
+	Log::write(SSH, [$t=network_time(), $id=cid, $status="failure", $country="US"]);
+	Log::write(SSH, [$t=network_time(), $id=cid, $status="fa||ure", $country="UK"]);
+	Log::write(SSH, [$t=network_time(), $id=cid, $status="su||ess", $country="BR"]);
+	Log::write(SSH, [$t=network_time(), $id=cid, $status="failure", $country="MX"]);
+	
+}
+