diff --git a/cpuset.c b/cpuset.c
index 906ed4a..29a9d2d 100644
--- a/cpuset.c
+++ b/cpuset.c
@@ -132,6 +132,10 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 				return 1;
 		}
 	}
+	if(geteuid() != 0) {
+		printf("This program needs to be launched as root!\n");
+		return 1;
+	}
 	if(action == ACTION_ENABLE) {
 		if(!cpu || !mem) {
 			printf("No CPU or memory pinning specified!\n");