diff --git a/infer/src/checkers/Siof.ml b/infer/src/checkers/Siof.ml
index dd5419a07..a2bfe3aa2 100644
--- a/infer/src/checkers/Siof.ml
+++ b/infer/src/checkers/Siof.ml
@@ -135,7 +135,21 @@ module TransferFunctions (CFG : ProcCfg.S) = struct
 
   let exec_instr astate {ProcData.pdesc} _ (instr: Sil.instr) =
     match instr with
-    | Load (_, exp, _, loc) | Store (_, _, exp, loc) | Prune (exp, loc, _, _) ->
+    | Store (Lvar global, Typ.({desc= Tptr _}), Lvar _, loc)
+      when (Option.equal Typ.Procname.equal)
+             (Pvar.get_initializer_pname global)
+             (Some (Procdesc.get_proc_name pdesc)) ->
+        (* if we are just taking the reference of another global then we are not really accessing
+           it. This is a dumb heuristic as something also might take that result and then
+           dereference it, thus requiring the target object to be initialized. Solving this would
+           involve a more complicated domain and analysis.
+
+           The heuristic is limited to the case where the access sets the global being initialized
+           in the current variable initializer function. *)
+        add_globals astate loc (GlobalVarSet.singleton global)
+    | Load (_, exp, _, loc) (* dereference -> add all the dangerous variables *)
+    | Store (_, _, exp, loc) (* except in the case above, consider all reads as dangerous *)
+    | Prune (exp, loc, _, _) ->
         get_globals pdesc exp |> add_globals astate loc
     | Call (_, Const (Cfun callee_pname), _, _, _) when is_whitelisted callee_pname ->
         at_least_nonbottom astate
diff --git a/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/Makefile b/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/Makefile
index 9d5826196..505e86fc8 100644
--- a/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/Makefile
+++ b/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/Makefile
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ INFER_OPTIONS = --siof-only --cxx-infer-headers --debug-exceptions --project-roo
 INFERPRINT_OPTIONS = --issues-tests
 
 SOURCES = \
+  siof/by_ref.cpp \
   siof/const.cpp \
   siof/const_use.cpp \
   siof/duplicate_reports.cpp \
diff --git a/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/issues.exp b/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/issues.exp
index faed588ef..d78775918 100644
--- a/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/issues.exp
+++ b/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/issues.exp
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/siof/by_ref.cpp, __infer_globals_initializer_init_pointer_by_val_to_dangerous_global_bad, 0, STATIC_INITIALIZATION_ORDER_FIASCO, no_bucket, ERROR, [initialization of init_pointer_by_val_to_dangerous_global_bad,access to dangerous_object|]
 codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/siof/duplicate_reports.cpp, __infer_globals_initializer_many_paths_to_siof_bad, 0, STATIC_INITIALIZATION_ORDER_FIASCO, no_bucket, ERROR, [initialization of many_paths_to_siof_bad,call to X_X,call to access_rick,access to rick|]
 codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/siof/duplicate_reports.cpp, __infer_globals_initializer_many_paths_to_siof_bad, 0, STATIC_INITIALIZATION_ORDER_FIASCO, no_bucket, ERROR, [initialization of many_paths_to_siof_bad,call to X_X,call to nested_access,access to dangerous|]
 codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/siof/siof.cpp, __infer_globals_initializer_X::static_pod_accesses_non_pod_bad, 0, STATIC_INITIALIZATION_ORDER_FIASCO, no_bucket, ERROR, [initialization of X::static_pod_accesses_non_pod_bad,call to access_to_non_pod,access to global_object2|codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/siof/siof_different_tu.cpp]
diff --git a/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/siof/by_ref.cpp b/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/siof/by_ref.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..70416eb7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/siof/siof/by_ref.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2018-present, Facebook, Inc.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ */
+#include <string>
+
+extern const std::string dangerous_object;
+
+const std::string* init_pointer_by_ref_to_dangerous_global_good = {
+    &dangerous_object};
+const std::string init_pointer_by_val_to_dangerous_global_bad =
+    dangerous_object;