diff --git a/include/ntfs/attrib.h b/include/ntfs/attrib.h
index bb911338..b20e0ffd 100644
--- a/include/ntfs/attrib.h
+++ b/include/ntfs/attrib.h
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 typedef struct _ntfs_attr ntfs_attr;
 typedef struct _ntfs_attr_search_ctx ntfs_attr_search_ctx;
 
+#include "list.h"
 #include "types.h"
 #include "inode.h"
 #include "unistr.h"
@@ -195,6 +196,8 @@ struct _ntfs_attr {
 	u8 compression_block_size_bits;
 	u8 compression_block_clusters;
 	ntfs_crypto_attr *crypto;
+	struct list_head list_entry;
+	int nr_references;
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/include/ntfs/inode.h b/include/ntfs/inode.h
index 0e1b0f2d..8fb907ab 100644
--- a/include/ntfs/inode.h
+++ b/include/ntfs/inode.h
@@ -161,6 +161,8 @@ struct _ntfs_inode {
 	int nr_references;		/* How many times this inode was
 					   opened.  We really close inode only
 					   when this reaches zero. */
+
+	struct list_head attr_cache;	/* List of opened attributes. */
 };
 
 extern void __ntfs_inode_add_to_cache(ntfs_inode *ni);
diff --git a/libntfs/attrib.c b/libntfs/attrib.c
index aae2e123..a1fe9545 100644
--- a/libntfs/attrib.c
+++ b/libntfs/attrib.c
@@ -354,6 +354,7 @@ ntfs_attr *ntfs_attr_open(ntfs_inode *ni, const ATTR_TYPES type,
 	ntfs_attr_search_ctx *ctx;
 	ntfs_attr *na;
 	ATTR_RECORD *a;
+	struct list_head *pos;
 	int err;
 	BOOL cs;
 
@@ -363,6 +364,21 @@ ntfs_attr *ntfs_attr_open(ntfs_inode *ni, const ATTR_TYPES type,
 		errno = EINVAL;
 		return NULL;
 	}
+	/* Check cache, maybe this attribute already opened? */
+	list_for_each(pos, &ni->attr_cache) {
+		ntfs_attr *tmp_na;
+
+		tmp_na = list_entry(pos, ntfs_attr, list_entry);
+		if (tmp_na->type == type && tmp_na->name_len == name_len &&
+				!ntfs_ucsncmp(tmp_na->name, name, name_len)) {
+			ntfs_log_trace("Found this attribute in cache, "
+					"increment reference count and "
+					"return it.\n");
+			tmp_na->nr_references++;
+			return tmp_na;
+		}
+	}
+	/* Search failed. Properly open attrbute. */
 	na = calloc(sizeof(ntfs_attr), 1);
 	if (!na)
 		return NULL;
@@ -429,6 +445,8 @@ ntfs_attr *ntfs_attr_open(ntfs_inode *ni, const ATTR_TYPES type,
 	ntfs_attr_put_search_ctx(ctx);
 	if (NAttrEncrypted(na))
 		ntfs_crypto_attr_open(na);
+	list_add_tail(&na->list_entry, &ni->attr_cache);
+	na->nr_references = 1;
 	return na;
 put_err_out:
 	ntfs_attr_put_search_ctx(ctx);
@@ -449,6 +467,14 @@ void ntfs_attr_close(ntfs_attr *na)
 {
 	if (!na)
 		return;
+	na->nr_references--;
+	if (na->nr_references) {
+		ntfs_log_trace("There are %d more references left to "
+				"this attribute.\n", na->nr_references);
+		return;
+	}
+	ntfs_log_trace("There are no more references left to this attribute\n");
+	list_del(&na->list_entry);
 	if (NAttrEncrypted(na))
 		ntfs_crypto_attr_close(na);
 	if (NAttrNonResident(na) && na->rl)
diff --git a/libntfs/inode.c b/libntfs/inode.c
index b21404cc..712cfd13 100644
--- a/libntfs/inode.c
+++ b/libntfs/inode.c
@@ -62,8 +62,10 @@ static ntfs_inode *__ntfs_inode_allocate(ntfs_volume *vol)
 	ntfs_inode *ni;
 
 	ni = (ntfs_inode*)calloc(1, sizeof(ntfs_inode));
-	if (ni)
+	if (ni) {
 		ni->vol = vol;
+		INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ni->attr_cache);
+	}
 	return ni;
 }
 
@@ -292,6 +294,11 @@ int ntfs_inode_close(ntfs_inode *ni)
 			ntfs_log_trace("There are no more references left to "
 					"this inode.\n");
 	}
+	/* Check whether all attributes of this inode are closed. */
+	if (!list_empty(&ni->attr_cache))
+		ntfs_log_error("%s(): Not all attributes are closed. "
+				"We definitely have memory leak. "
+				"Continue anyway.\n", __FUNCTION__);
 	/* If we have dirty metadata, write it out. */
 	if (NInoDirty(ni) || NInoAttrListDirty(ni)) {
 		if (ntfs_inode_sync(ni)) {