diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 6f765443f9..b9458bc634 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -1,3 +1,25 @@
+7.2.0-dev.173 | 2025-02-05 16:40:41 +0100
+
+  * cluster/zeromq: Call DoTerminate() in destructor (Arne Welzel, Corelight)
+
+    Normal life-cycle is that Terminate() / DoTerminate() is called
+    by zeek-setup code. If that doesn't happen, shutdown and join
+    threads during destructor.
+
+    try { } catch (...) suggested by Benjamin.
+
+  * cluster/zeromq: Use lambda for thread trampoline (Arne Welzel, Corelight)
+
+  * cluster/zeromq: Do not call util::fmt() from thread (Arne Welzel, Corelight)
+
+    ...util::fmt() uses a static buffer, so this is problematic.
+
+    I've dabbled a bit replacing std::thread with using threading::BasicThread
+    which would offer Fmt(), but this makes things more complicated. Primarily
+    as BasicThread is registered with the thread manager and the shutdown
+    interactions become entangled. The thread might be terminated before the
+    backend, or vice-versa. Seems nicer for the thread to be owned by the backend.
+
 7.2.0-dev.169 | 2025-02-05 11:10:21 +0100
 
   * cluster/zeromq: Fix Unsubscribe() bug caused by \x00 prefix (Arne Welzel, Corelight)
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index aa26564136..48bb374b1d 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-7.2.0-dev.169
+7.2.0-dev.173
diff --git a/src/cluster/backend/zeromq/ZeroMQ.cc b/src/cluster/backend/zeromq/ZeroMQ.cc
index ef117749ac..99207e82f5 100644
--- a/src/cluster/backend/zeromq/ZeroMQ.cc
+++ b/src/cluster/backend/zeromq/ZeroMQ.cc
@@ -59,15 +59,6 @@ constexpr DebugFlag operator&(zeek_uint_t x, DebugFlag y) {
         }                                                                                                              \
     } while ( 0 )
 
-namespace {
-void self_thread_fun(void* arg) {
-    auto* self = static_cast<ZeroMQBackend*>(arg);
-    self->Run();
-}
-
-} // namespace
-
-
 ZeroMQBackend::ZeroMQBackend(std::unique_ptr<EventSerializer> es, std::unique_ptr<LogSerializer> ls,
                              std::unique_ptr<detail::EventHandlingStrategy> ehs)
     : ThreadedBackend(std::move(es), std::move(ls), std::move(ehs)) {
@@ -75,6 +66,16 @@ ZeroMQBackend::ZeroMQBackend(std::unique_ptr<EventSerializer> es, std::unique_pt
     main_inproc = zmq::socket_t(ctx, zmq::socket_type::pair);
 }
 
+ZeroMQBackend::~ZeroMQBackend() {
+    try {
+        // DoTerminate is idempotent.
+        DoTerminate();
+    } catch ( ... ) {
+        // This should never happen.
+        abort();
+    }
+}
+
 void ZeroMQBackend::DoInitPostScript() {
     ThreadedBackend::DoInitPostScript();
 
@@ -118,6 +119,7 @@ void ZeroMQBackend::DoTerminate() {
     if ( proxy_thread ) {
         ZEROMQ_DEBUG("Shutting down proxy thread");
         proxy_thread->Shutdown();
+        proxy_thread.reset();
     }
 
     ZEROMQ_DEBUG("Terminated");
@@ -227,7 +229,9 @@ bool ZeroMQBackend::DoInit() {
     // Setup connectivity between main and child thread.
     main_inproc.bind("inproc://inproc-bridge");
     child_inproc.connect("inproc://inproc-bridge");
-    self_thread = std::thread(self_thread_fun, this);
+
+    // Thread is joined in backend->DoTerminate(), backend outlives it.
+    self_thread = std::thread([](auto* backend) { backend->Run(); }, this);
 
     // After connecting, call ThreadedBackend::DoInit() to register
     // the IO source with the loop.
@@ -356,7 +360,9 @@ bool ZeroMQBackend::DoPublishLogWrites(const logging::detail::LogWriteHeader& he
 }
 
 void ZeroMQBackend::Run() {
-    util::detail::set_thread_name(zeek::util::fmt("zmq-%p", this));
+    char name[4 + 2 + 16 + 1]{}; // zmq-0x<8byte pointer in hex><nul>
+    snprintf(name, sizeof(name), "zmq-%p", this);
+    util::detail::set_thread_name(name);
     ZEROMQ_DEBUG_THREAD_PRINTF(DebugFlag::THREAD, "Thread starting (%p)\n", this);
 
     using MultipartMessage = std::vector<zmq::message_t>;
diff --git a/src/cluster/backend/zeromq/ZeroMQ.h b/src/cluster/backend/zeromq/ZeroMQ.h
index 6959fcb59e..3a6783ff5c 100644
--- a/src/cluster/backend/zeromq/ZeroMQ.h
+++ b/src/cluster/backend/zeromq/ZeroMQ.h
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@ public:
     ZeroMQBackend(std::unique_ptr<EventSerializer> es, std::unique_ptr<LogSerializer> ls,
                   std::unique_ptr<detail::EventHandlingStrategy> ehs);
 
+    /**
+     * Destructor.
+     */
+    ~ZeroMQBackend();
+
     /**
      * Spawns a thread running zmq_proxy() for the configured XPUB/XSUB listen
      * sockets. Only one node in a cluster should do this.