diff --git a/jib-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/frontend/SystemPropertyValidator.java b/jib-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/frontend/SystemPropertyValidator.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e83cb628cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/jib-core/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/frontend/SystemPropertyValidator.java
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2018 Google LLC. All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not
+ * use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of
+ * the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+ * WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+ * License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under
+ * the License.
+ */
+
+package com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend;
+
+import java.util.function.Function;
+
+/** Validator for system properties. */
+public class SystemPropertyValidator {
+
+  /**
+   * Checks the {@code jib.httpTimeout} system property for invalid (non-integer or negative)
+   * values.
+   *
+   * @param exceptionFactory factory to create an exception with the given description
+   * @param <T> the exception type to throw if invalid values
+   * @throws T if invalid values
+   */
+  public static <T extends Throwable> void checkHttpTimeoutProperty(
+      Function<String, T> exceptionFactory) throws T {
+    String value = System.getProperty("jib.httpTimeout");
+    try {
+      if (value != null && Integer.parseInt(value) < 0) {
+        throw exceptionFactory.apply("jib.httpTimeout cannot be negative: " + value);
+      }
+    } catch (NumberFormatException ex) {
+      throw exceptionFactory.apply("jib.httpTimeout must be an integer: " + value);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private SystemPropertyValidator() {}
+}
diff --git a/jib-core/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/frontend/SystemPropertyValidatorTest.java b/jib-core/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/frontend/SystemPropertyValidatorTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ef7feb0c30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/jib-core/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/frontend/SystemPropertyValidatorTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2018 Google LLC. All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not
+ * use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of
+ * the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+ * WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+ * License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under
+ * the License.
+ */
+
+package com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend;
+
+import org.junit.After;
+import org.junit.Assert;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+/** Tests for {@link SystemPropertyValidator}. */
+public class SystemPropertyValidatorTest {
+
+  @After
+  public void tearDown() {
+    System.clearProperty("jib.httpTimeout");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckHttpTimeoutSystemProperty_ok() throws Exception {
+    Assert.assertNull(System.getProperty("jib.httpTimeout"));
+    SystemPropertyValidator.checkHttpTimeoutProperty(Exception::new);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckHttpTimeoutSystemProperty_stringValue() {
+    System.setProperty("jib.httpTimeout", "random string");
+    try {
+      SystemPropertyValidator.checkHttpTimeoutProperty(Exception::new);
+      Assert.fail("Should error with a non-integer timeout");
+    } catch (Exception ex) {
+      Assert.assertEquals("jib.httpTimeout must be an integer: random string", ex.getMessage());
+    }
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckHttpTimeoutSystemProperty_negativeValue() {
+    System.setProperty("jib.httpTimeout", "-80");
+    try {
+      SystemPropertyValidator.checkHttpTimeoutProperty(Exception::new);
+      Assert.fail("Should error with a negative timeout");
+    } catch (Exception ex) {
+      Assert.assertEquals("jib.httpTimeout cannot be negative: -80", ex.getMessage());
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/BuildDockerTask.java b/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/BuildDockerTask.java
index 7415aed902..0b6241d29a 100644
--- a/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/BuildDockerTask.java
+++ b/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/BuildDockerTask.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.BuildStepsRunner;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.ExposedPortsParser;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.HelpfulSuggestions;
+import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.SystemPropertyValidator;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.http.Authorization;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.image.ImageReference;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.image.InvalidImageReferenceException;
@@ -87,6 +88,7 @@ public void buildDocker() throws InvalidImageReferenceException, IOException {
     Preconditions.checkNotNull(jibExtension);
     GradleBuildLogger gradleBuildLogger = new GradleBuildLogger(getLogger());
     jibExtension.handleDeprecatedParameters(gradleBuildLogger);
+    SystemPropertyValidator.checkHttpTimeoutProperty(GradleException::new);
 
     if (Boolean.getBoolean("sendCredentialsOverHttp")) {
       gradleBuildLogger.warn(
diff --git a/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/BuildImageTask.java b/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/BuildImageTask.java
index 497f2da9de..4e77100196 100644
--- a/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/BuildImageTask.java
+++ b/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/BuildImageTask.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.BuildStepsRunner;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.ExposedPortsParser;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.HelpfulSuggestions;
+import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.SystemPropertyValidator;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.http.Authorization;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.image.ImageReference;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.image.InvalidImageReferenceException;
@@ -83,6 +84,7 @@ public void buildImage() throws InvalidImageReferenceException, IOException {
     Preconditions.checkNotNull(jibExtension);
     GradleBuildLogger gradleBuildLogger = new GradleBuildLogger(getLogger());
     jibExtension.handleDeprecatedParameters(gradleBuildLogger);
+    SystemPropertyValidator.checkHttpTimeoutProperty(GradleException::new);
 
     if (Strings.isNullOrEmpty(jibExtension.getTargetImage())) {
       throw new GradleException(
diff --git a/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/BuildTarTask.java b/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/BuildTarTask.java
index 35fab736eb..64086da31a 100644
--- a/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/BuildTarTask.java
+++ b/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/BuildTarTask.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.BuildStepsRunner;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.ExposedPortsParser;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.HelpfulSuggestions;
+import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.SystemPropertyValidator;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.http.Authorization;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.image.ImageReference;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.image.InvalidImageReferenceException;
@@ -115,6 +116,7 @@ public void buildTar() throws InvalidImageReferenceException, IOException {
     Preconditions.checkNotNull(jibExtension);
     GradleBuildLogger gradleBuildLogger = new GradleBuildLogger(getLogger());
     jibExtension.handleDeprecatedParameters(gradleBuildLogger);
+    SystemPropertyValidator.checkHttpTimeoutProperty(GradleException::new);
 
     if (Boolean.getBoolean("sendCredentialsOverHttp")) {
       gradleBuildLogger.warn(
diff --git a/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/DockerContextTask.java b/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/DockerContextTask.java
index 97b14522b8..2e10cb4521 100644
--- a/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/DockerContextTask.java
+++ b/jib-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/gradle/DockerContextTask.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.docker.DockerContextGenerator;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.ExposedPortsParser;
+import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.SystemPropertyValidator;
 import com.google.common.base.Preconditions;
 import com.google.common.io.InsecureRecursiveDeleteException;
 import java.io.IOException;
@@ -100,6 +101,7 @@ public void generateDockerContext() {
 
     GradleBuildLogger gradleBuildLogger = new GradleBuildLogger(getLogger());
     jibExtension.handleDeprecatedParameters(gradleBuildLogger);
+    SystemPropertyValidator.checkHttpTimeoutProperty(GradleException::new);
 
     GradleProjectProperties gradleProjectProperties =
         GradleProjectProperties.getForProject(getProject(), gradleBuildLogger);
diff --git a/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/BuildDockerMojo.java b/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/BuildDockerMojo.java
index e41d7dca77..f34f8c9528 100644
--- a/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/BuildDockerMojo.java
+++ b/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/BuildDockerMojo.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.BuildStepsRunner;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.ExposedPortsParser;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.HelpfulSuggestions;
+import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.SystemPropertyValidator;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.image.ImageReference;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.registry.RegistryClient;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.registry.credentials.RegistryCredentials;
@@ -58,6 +59,7 @@ public class BuildDockerMojo extends JibPluginConfiguration {
   public void execute() throws MojoExecutionException {
     MavenBuildLogger mavenBuildLogger = new MavenBuildLogger(getLog());
     handleDeprecatedParameters(mavenBuildLogger);
+    SystemPropertyValidator.checkHttpTimeoutProperty(MojoExecutionException::new);
 
     if (!new DockerClient().isDockerInstalled()) {
       throw new MojoExecutionException(HELPFUL_SUGGESTIONS.forDockerNotInstalled());
diff --git a/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/BuildImageMojo.java b/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/BuildImageMojo.java
index 5c028bc191..62a840f291 100644
--- a/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/BuildImageMojo.java
+++ b/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/BuildImageMojo.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.BuildStepsRunner;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.ExposedPortsParser;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.HelpfulSuggestions;
+import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.SystemPropertyValidator;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.image.ImageFormat;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.image.ImageReference;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.registry.RegistryClient;
@@ -61,6 +62,7 @@ public class BuildImageMojo extends JibPluginConfiguration {
   public void execute() throws MojoExecutionException, MojoFailureException {
     MavenBuildLogger mavenBuildLogger = new MavenBuildLogger(getLog());
     handleDeprecatedParameters(mavenBuildLogger);
+    SystemPropertyValidator.checkHttpTimeoutProperty(MojoExecutionException::new);
 
     // Validates 'format'.
     if (Arrays.stream(ImageFormat.values()).noneMatch(value -> value.name().equals(getFormat()))) {
diff --git a/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/BuildTarMojo.java b/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/BuildTarMojo.java
index ebe232ce01..4787261e18 100644
--- a/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/BuildTarMojo.java
+++ b/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/BuildTarMojo.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.BuildStepsRunner;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.ExposedPortsParser;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.HelpfulSuggestions;
+import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.SystemPropertyValidator;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.image.ImageReference;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.registry.RegistryClient;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.registry.credentials.RegistryCredentials;
@@ -60,6 +61,7 @@ public class BuildTarMojo extends JibPluginConfiguration {
   public void execute() throws MojoExecutionException {
     MavenBuildLogger mavenBuildLogger = new MavenBuildLogger(getLog());
     handleDeprecatedParameters(mavenBuildLogger);
+    SystemPropertyValidator.checkHttpTimeoutProperty(MojoExecutionException::new);
 
     // Parses 'from' and 'to' into image reference.
     MavenProjectProperties mavenProjectProperties =
diff --git a/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/DockerContextMojo.java b/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/DockerContextMojo.java
index 5735839029..9911661fee 100644
--- a/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/DockerContextMojo.java
+++ b/jib-maven-plugin/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/tools/jib/maven/DockerContextMojo.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.docker.DockerContextGenerator;
 import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.ExposedPortsParser;
+import com.google.cloud.tools.jib.frontend.SystemPropertyValidator;
 import com.google.common.annotations.VisibleForTesting;
 import com.google.common.base.Preconditions;
 import com.google.common.io.InsecureRecursiveDeleteException;
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@ public class DockerContextMojo extends JibPluginConfiguration {
   public void execute() throws MojoExecutionException, MojoFailureException {
     MavenBuildLogger mavenBuildLogger = new MavenBuildLogger(getLog());
     handleDeprecatedParameters(mavenBuildLogger);
+    SystemPropertyValidator.checkHttpTimeoutProperty(MojoExecutionException::new);
 
     Preconditions.checkNotNull(targetDir);