diff --git a/Kernel/CMakeLists.txt b/Kernel/CMakeLists.txt
index 45d74f98d1..94de737dac 100644
--- a/Kernel/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Kernel/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -161,6 +161,7 @@ set(KERNEL_SOURCES
     Memory/VirtualRange.cpp
     Memory/VirtualRangeAllocator.cpp
     MiniStdLib.cpp
+    Locking/LockRank.cpp
     Locking/Mutex.cpp
     Net/E1000ENetworkAdapter.cpp
     Net/E1000NetworkAdapter.cpp
diff --git a/Kernel/Locking/LockRank.cpp b/Kernel/Locking/LockRank.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..62efe7400d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Kernel/Locking/LockRank.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2021, Brian Gianforcaro <bgianf@serenityos.org>
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause
+ */
+
+#include <Kernel/Locking/LockRank.h>
+#include <Kernel/Thread.h>
+
+// Note: These stubs can't be in LockRank.h as that would create
+// a cyclic dependency in the header include graph of the Kernel.
+
+namespace Kernel {
+
+void track_lock_acquire(LockRank rank)
+{
+    auto thread = Thread::current();
+    if (thread && !thread->is_crashing())
+        thread->track_lock_acquire(rank);
+}
+
+void track_lock_release(LockRank rank)
+{
+    auto thread = Thread::current();
+    if (thread && !thread->is_crashing())
+        thread->track_lock_release(rank);
+}
+
+}
diff --git a/Kernel/Locking/LockRank.h b/Kernel/Locking/LockRank.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..38c76f7237
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Kernel/Locking/LockRank.h
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2021, Brian Gianforcaro <bgianf@serenityos.org>
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause
+ */
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include <AK/EnumBits.h>
+
+namespace Kernel {
+// To catch bugs where locks are taken out of order, we annotate all locks
+// in the kernel with a rank. The rank describes the order in which locks
+// are allowed to be taken. If a lock is acquired, and it is of an incompatible
+// rank with the lock held by the executing thread then the system can detect
+// the lock order violation and respond appropriately (crash with error).
+//
+// A thread holding a lower ranked lock cannot acquire a lock of a greater or equal rank.
+enum class LockRank : int {
+    // Special marker for locks which haven't been annotated yet.
+    // Note: This should be removed once all locks are annotated.
+    None = 0x000,
+
+    // We need to be able to handle page faults from anywhere, so
+    // memory manager locks are our lowest rank lock.
+    MemoryManager = 0x001,
+
+    Interrupts = 0x002,
+
+    FileSystem = 0x004,
+
+    Thread = 0x008,
+
+    // Process locks are the lowest rank, as they normally are taken
+    // first thing when processing syscalls.
+    Process = 0x010,
+};
+
+AK_ENUM_BITWISE_OPERATORS(LockRank);
+
+void track_lock_acquire(LockRank);
+void track_lock_release(LockRank);
+}
diff --git a/Kernel/Thread.cpp b/Kernel/Thread.cpp
index dfb2138c88..d7abe0d65f 100644
--- a/Kernel/Thread.cpp
+++ b/Kernel/Thread.cpp
@@ -1226,6 +1226,56 @@ bool Thread::should_be_stopped() const
     return process().is_stopped();
 }
 
+void Thread::track_lock_acquire(LockRank rank)
+{
+    // Nothing to do for locks without a rank.
+    if (rank == LockRank::None)
+        return;
+
+    if (m_lock_rank_mask != LockRank::None) {
+        // Verify we are only attempting to take a lock of a higher rank.
+        VERIFY(m_lock_rank_mask > rank);
+    }
+
+    m_lock_rank_mask |= rank;
+}
+
+void Thread::track_lock_release(LockRank rank)
+{
+    // Nothing to do for locks without a rank.
+    if (rank == LockRank::None)
+        return;
+
+    using PrimitiveType = UnderlyingType<LockRank>;
+
+    // The rank value from the caller should only contain a single bit, otherwise
+    // we are disabling the tracking for multiple locks at once which will corrupt
+    // the lock tracking mask, and we will assert somewhere else.
+    auto rank_is_a_single_bit = [](auto rank_enum) -> bool {
+        auto rank = static_cast<PrimitiveType>(rank_enum);
+        auto rank_without_least_significant_bit = rank - 1;
+        return (rank & rank_without_least_significant_bit) == 0;
+    };
+
+    // We can't release locks out of order, as that would violate the ranking.
+    // This is validated by toggling the least significant bit of the mask, and
+    // then bit wise or-ing the rank we are trying to release with the resulting
+    // mask. If the rank we are releasing is truly the highest rank then the mask
+    // we get back will be equal to the current mask of stored on the thread.
+    auto rank_is_in_order = [](auto mask_enum, auto rank_enum) -> bool {
+        auto mask = static_cast<PrimitiveType>(mask_enum);
+        auto rank = static_cast<PrimitiveType>(rank_enum);
+        auto mask_without_least_significant_bit = mask - 1;
+        return ((mask & mask_without_least_significant_bit) | rank) == mask;
+    };
+
+    VERIFY(has_flag(m_lock_rank_mask, rank));
+    VERIFY(rank_is_a_single_bit(rank));
+    VERIFY(rank_is_in_order(m_lock_rank_mask, rank));
+
+    m_lock_rank_mask ^= rank;
+}
+
 }
 
 void AK::Formatter<Kernel::Thread>::format(FormatBuilder& builder, const Kernel::Thread& value)
diff --git a/Kernel/Thread.h b/Kernel/Thread.h
index 6a5cd349e7..eb568a17c7 100644
--- a/Kernel/Thread.h
+++ b/Kernel/Thread.h
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include <Kernel/Library/ListedRefCounted.h>
 #include <Kernel/Locking/LockLocation.h>
 #include <Kernel/Locking/LockMode.h>
+#include <Kernel/Locking/LockRank.h>
 #include <Kernel/Locking/SpinlockProtected.h>
 #include <Kernel/Memory/VirtualRange.h>
 #include <Kernel/Scheduler.h>
@@ -1083,6 +1084,9 @@ public:
     u32 saved_critical() const { return m_saved_critical; }
     void save_critical(u32 critical) { m_saved_critical = critical; }
 
+    void track_lock_acquire(LockRank rank);
+    void track_lock_release(LockRank rank);
+
     [[nodiscard]] bool is_active() const { return m_is_active; }
 
     [[nodiscard]] bool is_finalizable() const
@@ -1302,6 +1306,7 @@ private:
     Kernel::Mutex* m_blocking_lock { nullptr };
     u32 m_lock_requested_count { 0 };
     IntrusiveListNode<Thread> m_blocked_threads_list_node;
+    LockRank m_lock_rank_mask { LockRank::None };
 
 #if LOCK_DEBUG
     struct HoldingLockInfo {