diff --git a/src/remote/remote_driver.c b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
index 6ad86c56fd..a73344639b 100644
--- a/src/remote/remote_driver.c
+++ b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
@@ -4033,6 +4033,8 @@ remoteAuthSASL(virConnectPtr conn, struct private_data *priv,
                                             virNetClientRemoteAddrString(priv->client),
                                             saslcb)))
         goto cleanup;
+    /* saslcb is now owned by sasl */
+    saslcb = NULL;
 
 # ifdef WITH_GNUTLS
     /* Initialize some connection props we care about */
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetsaslcontext.c b/src/rpc/virnetsaslcontext.c
index 35dc6cfcb9..1baf41e21e 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetsaslcontext.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetsaslcontext.c
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ struct _virNetSASLSession {
 
     sasl_conn_t *conn;
     size_t maxbufsize;
+    sasl_callback_t *callbacks;
 };
 
 
@@ -167,7 +168,7 @@ virNetSASLSessionPtr virNetSASLSessionNewClient(virNetSASLContextPtr ctxt ATTRIB
                                                 const char *hostname,
                                                 const char *localAddr,
                                                 const char *remoteAddr,
-                                                const sasl_callback_t *cbs)
+                                                sasl_callback_t *cbs)
 {
     virNetSASLSessionPtr sasl = NULL;
     int err;
@@ -191,6 +192,7 @@ virNetSASLSessionPtr virNetSASLSessionNewClient(virNetSASLContextPtr ctxt ATTRIB
                        err, sasl_errstring(err, NULL, NULL));
         goto cleanup;
     }
+    sasl->callbacks = cbs;
 
     return sasl;
 
@@ -674,5 +676,5 @@ void virNetSASLSessionDispose(void *obj)
 
     if (sasl->conn)
         sasl_dispose(&sasl->conn);
-
+    VIR_FREE(sasl->callbacks);
 }
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetsaslcontext.h b/src/rpc/virnetsaslcontext.h
index e7263022c6..54634d5f12 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetsaslcontext.h
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetsaslcontext.h
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ virNetSASLSessionPtr virNetSASLSessionNewClient(virNetSASLContextPtr ctxt,
                                                 const char *hostname,
                                                 const char *localAddr,
                                                 const char *remoteAddr,
-                                                const sasl_callback_t *cbs);
+                                                sasl_callback_t *cbs);
 virNetSASLSessionPtr virNetSASLSessionNewServer(virNetSASLContextPtr ctxt,
                                                 const char *service,
                                                 const char *localAddr,