diff --git a/config/environment.php b/config/environment.php
index f1744729af..0df592dfe0 100644
--- a/config/environment.php
+++ b/config/environment.php
@@ -52,4 +52,7 @@
 	/* Feed */
     'feed_limit'   => 10,
     'feed_email'   => 'author',
+
+    /* Session autostart */
+    'session_autostart' => false
 ];
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/libraries/cms/application/cms.php b/lib/libraries/cms/application/cms.php
index bc6ab4b579..373c9517ce 100644
--- a/lib/libraries/cms/application/cms.php
+++ b/lib/libraries/cms/application/cms.php
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ public function __construct(JInput $input = null, JRegistry $config = null, JApp
 		// Create the session if a session name is passed.
 		if ($this->config->get('session') !== false)
 		{
-			$this->loadSession();
+			$this->loadSession(null, $this->config->get('session_autostart'));
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -620,7 +620,7 @@ public function isSite()
 	 *
 	 * @since   3.2
 	 */
-	public function loadSession(JSession $session = null)
+	public function loadSession(JSession $session = null, $auto_start = true)
 	{
 		if ($session !== null)
 		{
@@ -664,35 +664,49 @@ public function loadSession(JSession $session = null)
 
 		// There's an internal coupling to the session object being present in JFactory, need to deal with this at some point
 		$session = JFactory::getSession($options);
-		$session->initialise($this->input, $this->dispatcher);
-		$session->start();
-
-		// TODO: At some point we need to get away from having session data always in the db.
-		$db = JFactory::getDbo();
-
-		// Remove expired sessions from the database.
-		$time = time();
-
-		if ($time % 2)
-		{
-			// The modulus introduces a little entropy, making the flushing less accurate
-			// but fires the query less than half the time.
-			$query = $db->getQuery(true)
-				->delete($db->quoteName('#__users_sessions'))
-				->where($db->quoteName('time') . ' < ' . $db->quote((int) ($time - $session->getExpire())));
-
-			$db->setQuery($query);
-			$db->execute();
-		}
-
-		// Get the session handler from the configuration.
-		$handler = $this->get('session_handler', 'none');
-
-		if (($handler != 'database' && ($time % 2 || $session->isNew()))
-			|| ($handler == 'database' && $session->isNew()))
-		{
-			$this->checkSession();
-		}
+        $session->initialise($this->input, $this->dispatcher);
+
+        if ($session->getState() != 'active')
+        {
+            if ($auto_start || $this->input->cookie->get($session->getName())) {
+                $session->start();
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Only update the session table if the session is active
+        if ($session->getState() == 'active')
+        {
+            // TODO: At some point we need to get away from having session data always in the db.
+            $db = JFactory::getDbo();
+
+            // Remove expired sessions from the database.
+            $time = time();
+
+            if ($time % 2) {
+                // The modulus introduces a little entropy, making the flushing less accurate
+                // but fires the query less than half the time.
+                $query = $db->getQuery(true)
+                    ->delete($db->quoteName('#__users_sessions'))
+                    ->where($db->quoteName('time') . ' < ' . $db->quote((int)($time - $session->getExpire())));
+
+                $db->setQuery($query);
+                $db->execute();
+            }
+
+            // Get the session handler from the configuration.
+            $handler = $this->get('session_handler', 'none');
+
+            if (($handler != 'database' && ($time % 2 || $session->isNew()))
+                || ($handler == 'database' && $session->isNew())
+            ) {
+                $this->checkSession();
+            }
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            $session->set('registry',    new JRegistry('session'));
+            $session->set('user',        new JUser());
+        }
 
 		// Set the session object.
 		$this->session = $session;
@@ -732,10 +746,19 @@ public function login($credentials, $options = array())
 
 		if ($response->status === JAuthentication::STATUS_SUCCESS)
 		{
-			/*
-			 * Validate that the user should be able to login (different to being authenticated).
-			 * This permits authentication plugins blocking the user.
-			 */
+            $session = JFactory::getSession($options);
+
+            // Fork the session to prevent session fixation issues if it's active
+            if($session->getState() != 'active') {
+                $session->start();
+            } else {
+                $session->fork();
+            }
+
+            /*
+             * Validate that the user should be able to login (different to being authenticated).
+             * This permits authentication plugins blocking the user.
+             */
 			$authorisations = $authenticate->authorise($response, $options);
 
 			foreach ($authorisations as $authorisation)
diff --git a/lib/libraries/joomla/application/web.php b/lib/libraries/joomla/application/web.php
index e695ed3d81..2c544f4a57 100644
--- a/lib/libraries/joomla/application/web.php
+++ b/lib/libraries/joomla/application/web.php
@@ -133,6 +133,10 @@ public function __construct(JInput $input = null, JRegistry $config = null, JApp
 		// Load the configuration object.
 		$this->loadConfiguration($this->fetchConfigurationData());
 
+        if (is_null($this->config->get('session_autostart'))) {
+            $this->config->set('session_autostart', true);
+        }
+
 		// Set the execution datetime and timestamp;
 		$this->set('execution.datetime', gmdate('Y-m-d H:i:s'));
 		$this->set('execution.timestamp', time());
@@ -213,7 +217,7 @@ public function initialise($session = null, $document = null, $language = null,
 		// Create the session based on the application logic.
 		if ($session !== false)
 		{
-			$this->loadSession($session);
+			$this->loadSession($session, $this->config->get('session_autostart'));
 		}
 
 		// Create the document based on the application logic.
@@ -1030,7 +1034,7 @@ public function loadLanguage(JLanguage $language = null)
 	 *
 	 * @since   11.3
 	 */
-	public function loadSession(JSession $session = null)
+	public function loadSession(JSession $session = null, $auto_start = true)
 	{
 		if ($session !== null)
 		{
@@ -1065,10 +1069,12 @@ public function loadSession(JSession $session = null)
 		{
 			$session->restart();
 		}
-		else
-		{
-			$session->start();
-		}
+		elseif ($session->getState() != 'active')
+        {
+            if ($auto_start || $this->input->cookie->get($session->getName())) {
+                $session->start();
+            }
+        }
 
 		// Set the session object.
 		$this->session = $session;
diff --git a/lib/libraries/legacy/application/application.php b/lib/libraries/legacy/application/application.php
index 3dd309d76c..4c4dc63d88 100644
--- a/lib/libraries/legacy/application/application.php
+++ b/lib/libraries/legacy/application/application.php
@@ -146,10 +146,15 @@ public function __construct($config = array())
 			$this->_createConfiguration(JPATH_CONFIGURATION . '/' . $config['config_file']);
 		}
 
+        // Set the session autostart
+        if(!isset($config['session_autostart'])) {
+            $config['session_autostart'] = !is_null($this->getCfg('session_autostart')) ? $this->getCfg('session_autostart') : true;
+        }
+
 		// Create the session if a session name is passed.
 		if ($config['session'] !== false)
 		{
-			$this->_createSession(self::getHash($config['session_name']));
+			$this->_createSession(self::getHash($config['session_name']), false, $config['session_autostart']);
 		}
 
 		$this->requestTime = gmdate('Y-m-d H:i');
@@ -962,7 +967,7 @@ protected function _createConfiguration($file)
 	 * @since   11.1
 	 * @deprecated  4.0
 	 */
-	protected function _createSession($name)
+	protected function _createSession($name, $auto_start = true)
 	{
 		$options = array();
 		$options['name'] = $name;
@@ -987,36 +992,50 @@ protected function _createSession($name)
 		$this->registerEvent('onAfterSessionStart', array($this, 'afterSessionStart'));
 
 		$session = JFactory::getSession($options);
-		$session->initialise($this->input, $this->dispatcher);
-		$session->start();
-
-		// TODO: At some point we need to get away from having session data always in the db.
-
-		$db = JFactory::getDbo();
-
-		// Remove expired sessions from the database.
-		$time = time();
-
-		if ($time % 2)
-		{
-			// The modulus introduces a little entropy, making the flushing less accurate
-			// but fires the query less than half the time.
-			$query = $db->getQuery(true)
-				->delete($db->quoteName('#__users_sessions'))
-				->where($db->quoteName('time') . ' < ' . $db->quote((int) ($time - $session->getExpire())));
-
-			$db->setQuery($query);
-			$db->execute();
-		}
-
-		// Check to see the the session already exists.
-		$handler = $this->getCfg('session_handler');
-
-		if (($handler != 'database' && ($time % 2 || $session->isNew()))
-			|| ($handler == 'database' && $session->isNew()))
-		{
-			$this->checkSession();
-		}
+        $session->initialise($this->input, $this->dispatcher);
+
+        if($session->getState() != 'active')
+        {
+            if ($auto_start || JRequest::getCmd($session->getName(), null, 'cookie')) {
+                $session->start();
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Only update the session table if the session is active
+        if($session->getState() == 'active')
+        {
+            // TODO: At some point we need to get away from having session data always in the db.
+            $db = JFactory::getDbo();
+
+            // Remove expired sessions from the database.
+            $time = time();
+
+            if ($time % 2)
+            {
+                // The modulus introduces a little entropy, making the flushing less accurate
+                // but fires the query less than half the time.
+                $query = $db->getQuery(true)
+                    ->delete($db->quoteName('#__users_sessions'))
+                    ->where($db->quoteName('time') . ' < ' . $db->quote((int) ($time - $session->getExpire())));
+
+                $db->setQuery($query);
+                $db->execute();
+            }
+
+            // Check to see the the session already exists.
+            $handler = $this->getCfg('session_handler');
+
+            if (($handler != 'database' && ($time % 2 || $session->isNew()))
+                || ($handler == 'database' && $session->isNew()))
+            {
+                $this->checkSession();
+            }
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            $session->set('registry',    new JRegistry('session'));
+            $session->set('user',        new JUser());
+        }
 
 		return $session;
 	}