diff --git a/board/qemu/mips64el-malta/linux-3.16.config b/board/qemu/mips64el-malta/linux-3.17.config
similarity index 100%
rename from board/qemu/mips64el-malta/linux-3.16.config
rename to board/qemu/mips64el-malta/linux-3.17.config
diff --git a/board/qemu/mips64el-malta/readme.txt b/board/qemu/mips64el-malta/readme.txt
index 83faad8035..938e39d3c7 100644
--- a/board/qemu/mips64el-malta/readme.txt
+++ b/board/qemu/mips64el-malta/readme.txt
@@ -5,4 +5,4 @@ Run the emulation with:
 The login prompt will appear in the terminal that started Qemu. The
 graphical window is the framebuffer.
 
-Tested with QEMU 2.1.0
+Tested with QEMU 2.1.2
diff --git a/configs/qemu_mips64el_malta_defconfig b/configs/qemu_mips64el_malta_defconfig
index 6bf2fa400d..9171c4d6a8 100644
--- a/configs/qemu_mips64el_malta_defconfig
+++ b/configs/qemu_mips64el_malta_defconfig
@@ -9,17 +9,17 @@ BR2_TOOLCHAIN_BUILDROOT_EGLIBC=y
 BR2_TARGET_ROOTFS_EXT2=y
 # BR2_TARGET_ROOTFS_TAR is not set
 
-# Lock to 3.16 headers to avoid breaking with newer kernels
+# Lock to 3.17 headers to avoid breaking with newer kernels
 BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_VERSION=y
-BR2_DEFAULT_KERNEL_VERSION="3.16.3"
-BR2_PACKAGE_HOST_LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_3_16=y
+BR2_DEFAULT_KERNEL_VERSION="3.17"
+BR2_PACKAGE_HOST_LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_3_17=y
 
 # Kernel
 BR2_LINUX_KERNEL=y
 BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_CUSTOM_VERSION=y
-BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_CUSTOM_VERSION_VALUE="3.16.3"
+BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_CUSTOM_VERSION_VALUE="3.17"
 BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_USE_CUSTOM_CONFIG=y
-BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_CUSTOM_CONFIG_FILE="board/qemu/mips64el-malta/linux-3.16.config"
+BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_CUSTOM_CONFIG_FILE="board/qemu/mips64el-malta/linux-3.17.config"
 BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_VMLINUX=y
 
 # Serial port config