diff --git a/crypto/Makefile.objs b/crypto/Makefile.objs
index b2a0e0b38e..a3135f1ddf 100644
--- a/crypto/Makefile.objs
+++ b/crypto/Makefile.objs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ crypto-obj-y += tlscreds.o
 crypto-obj-y += tlscredsanon.o
 crypto-obj-y += tlscredsx509.o
 crypto-obj-y += tlssession.o
+crypto-obj-y += secret.o
 
 # Let the userspace emulators avoid linking gnutls/etc
 crypto-aes-obj-y = aes.o
diff --git a/crypto/secret.c b/crypto/secret.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9a9257a7f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crypto/secret.c
@@ -0,0 +1,513 @@
+/*
+ * QEMU crypto secret support
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2015 Red Hat, Inc.
+ *
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with this library; if not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ *
+ */
+
+#include "crypto/secret.h"
+#include "crypto/cipher.h"
+#include "qom/object_interfaces.h"
+#include "qemu/base64.h"
+#include "trace.h"
+
+
+static void
+qcrypto_secret_load_data(QCryptoSecret *secret,
+                         uint8_t **output,
+                         size_t *outputlen,
+                         Error **errp)
+{
+    char *data = NULL;
+    size_t length = 0;
+    GError *gerr = NULL;
+
+    *output = NULL;
+    *outputlen = 0;
+
+    if (secret->file) {
+        if (secret->data) {
+            error_setg(errp,
+                       "'file' and 'data' are mutually exclusive");
+            return;
+        }
+        if (!g_file_get_contents(secret->file, &data, &length, &gerr)) {
+            error_setg(errp,
+                       "Unable to read %s: %s",
+                       secret->file, gerr->message);
+            g_error_free(gerr);
+            return;
+        }
+        *output = (uint8_t *)data;
+        *outputlen = length;
+    } else if (secret->data) {
+        *outputlen = strlen(secret->data);
+        *output = (uint8_t *)g_strdup(secret->data);
+    } else {
+        error_setg(errp, "Either 'file' or 'data' must be provided");
+    }
+}
+
+
+static void qcrypto_secret_decrypt(QCryptoSecret *secret,
+                                   const uint8_t *input,
+                                   size_t inputlen,
+                                   uint8_t **output,
+                                   size_t *outputlen,
+                                   Error **errp)
+{
+    uint8_t *key = NULL, *ciphertext = NULL, *iv = NULL;
+    size_t keylen, ciphertextlen, ivlen;
+    QCryptoCipher *aes = NULL;
+    uint8_t *plaintext = NULL;
+
+    *output = NULL;
+    *outputlen = 0;
+
+    if (qcrypto_secret_lookup(secret->keyid,
+                              &key, &keylen,
+                              errp) < 0) {
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (keylen != 32) {
+        error_setg(errp, "Key should be 32 bytes in length");
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (!secret->iv) {
+        error_setg(errp, "IV is required to decrypt secret");
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    iv = qbase64_decode(secret->iv, -1, &ivlen, errp);
+    if (!iv) {
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+    if (ivlen != 16) {
+        error_setg(errp, "IV should be 16 bytes in length not %zu",
+                   ivlen);
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    aes = qcrypto_cipher_new(QCRYPTO_CIPHER_ALG_AES_256,
+                             QCRYPTO_CIPHER_MODE_CBC,
+                             key, keylen,
+                             errp);
+    if (!aes) {
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (qcrypto_cipher_setiv(aes, iv, ivlen, errp) < 0) {
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (secret->format == QCRYPTO_SECRET_FORMAT_BASE64) {
+        ciphertext = qbase64_decode((const gchar*)input,
+                                    inputlen,
+                                    &ciphertextlen,
+                                    errp);
+        if (!ciphertext) {
+            goto cleanup;
+        }
+        plaintext = g_new0(uint8_t, ciphertextlen + 1);
+    } else {
+        ciphertextlen = inputlen;
+        plaintext = g_new0(uint8_t, inputlen + 1);
+    }
+    if (qcrypto_cipher_decrypt(aes,
+                               ciphertext ? ciphertext : input,
+                               plaintext,
+                               ciphertextlen,
+                               errp) < 0) {
+        plaintext = NULL;
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (plaintext[ciphertextlen - 1] > 16 ||
+        plaintext[ciphertextlen - 1] > ciphertextlen) {
+        error_setg(errp, "Incorrect number of padding bytes (%d) "
+                   "found on decrypted data",
+                   (int)plaintext[ciphertextlen - 1]);
+        g_free(plaintext);
+        plaintext = NULL;
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    /* Even though plaintext may contain arbitrary NUL
+     * ensure it is explicitly NUL terminated.
+     */
+    ciphertextlen -= plaintext[ciphertextlen - 1];
+    plaintext[ciphertextlen] = '\0';
+
+    *output = plaintext;
+    *outputlen = ciphertextlen;
+
+ cleanup:
+    g_free(ciphertext);
+    g_free(iv);
+    g_free(key);
+    qcrypto_cipher_free(aes);
+}
+
+
+static void qcrypto_secret_decode(const uint8_t *input,
+                                  size_t inputlen,
+                                  uint8_t **output,
+                                  size_t *outputlen,
+                                  Error **errp)
+{
+    *output = qbase64_decode((const gchar*)input,
+                             inputlen,
+                             outputlen,
+                             errp);
+}
+
+
+static void
+qcrypto_secret_prop_set_loaded(Object *obj,
+                               bool value,
+                               Error **errp)
+{
+    QCryptoSecret *secret = QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj);
+
+    if (value) {
+        Error *local_err = NULL;
+        uint8_t *input = NULL;
+        size_t inputlen = 0;
+        uint8_t *output = NULL;
+        size_t outputlen = 0;
+
+        qcrypto_secret_load_data(secret, &input, &inputlen, &local_err);
+        if (local_err) {
+            error_propagate(errp, local_err);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (secret->keyid) {
+            qcrypto_secret_decrypt(secret, input, inputlen,
+                                   &output, &outputlen, &local_err);
+            g_free(input);
+            if (local_err) {
+                error_propagate(errp, local_err);
+                return;
+            }
+            input = output;
+            inputlen = outputlen;
+        } else {
+            if (secret->format != QCRYPTO_SECRET_FORMAT_RAW) {
+                qcrypto_secret_decode(input, inputlen,
+                                      &output, &outputlen, &local_err);
+                g_free(input);
+                if (local_err) {
+                    error_propagate(errp, local_err);
+                    return;
+                }
+                input = output;
+                inputlen = outputlen;
+            }
+        }
+
+        secret->rawdata = input;
+        secret->rawlen = inputlen;
+    } else {
+        g_free(secret->rawdata);
+        secret->rawlen = 0;
+    }
+}
+
+
+static bool
+qcrypto_secret_prop_get_loaded(Object *obj,
+                               Error **errp G_GNUC_UNUSED)
+{
+    QCryptoSecret *secret = QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj);
+    return secret->data != NULL;
+}
+
+
+static void
+qcrypto_secret_prop_set_format(Object *obj,
+                               int value,
+                               Error **errp G_GNUC_UNUSED)
+{
+    QCryptoSecret *creds = QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj);
+
+    creds->format = value;
+}
+
+
+static int
+qcrypto_secret_prop_get_format(Object *obj,
+                               Error **errp G_GNUC_UNUSED)
+{
+    QCryptoSecret *creds = QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj);
+
+    return creds->format;
+}
+
+
+static void
+qcrypto_secret_prop_set_data(Object *obj,
+                             const char *value,
+                             Error **errp)
+{
+    QCryptoSecret *secret = QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj);
+
+    g_free(secret->data);
+    secret->data = g_strdup(value);
+}
+
+
+static char *
+qcrypto_secret_prop_get_data(Object *obj,
+                             Error **errp)
+{
+    QCryptoSecret *secret = QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj);
+    return g_strdup(secret->data);
+}
+
+
+static void
+qcrypto_secret_prop_set_file(Object *obj,
+                             const char *value,
+                             Error **errp)
+{
+    QCryptoSecret *secret = QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj);
+
+    g_free(secret->file);
+    secret->file = g_strdup(value);
+}
+
+
+static char *
+qcrypto_secret_prop_get_file(Object *obj,
+                             Error **errp)
+{
+    QCryptoSecret *secret = QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj);
+    return g_strdup(secret->file);
+}
+
+
+static void
+qcrypto_secret_prop_set_iv(Object *obj,
+                           const char *value,
+                           Error **errp)
+{
+    QCryptoSecret *secret = QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj);
+
+    g_free(secret->iv);
+    secret->iv = g_strdup(value);
+}
+
+
+static char *
+qcrypto_secret_prop_get_iv(Object *obj,
+                           Error **errp)
+{
+    QCryptoSecret *secret = QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj);
+    return g_strdup(secret->iv);
+}
+
+
+static void
+qcrypto_secret_prop_set_keyid(Object *obj,
+                              const char *value,
+                              Error **errp)
+{
+    QCryptoSecret *secret = QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj);
+
+    g_free(secret->keyid);
+    secret->keyid = g_strdup(value);
+}
+
+
+static char *
+qcrypto_secret_prop_get_keyid(Object *obj,
+                              Error **errp)
+{
+    QCryptoSecret *secret = QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj);
+    return g_strdup(secret->keyid);
+}
+
+
+static void
+qcrypto_secret_complete(UserCreatable *uc, Error **errp)
+{
+    object_property_set_bool(OBJECT(uc), true, "loaded", errp);
+}
+
+
+static void
+qcrypto_secret_init(Object *obj)
+{
+    object_property_add_bool(obj, "loaded",
+                             qcrypto_secret_prop_get_loaded,
+                             qcrypto_secret_prop_set_loaded,
+                             NULL);
+    object_property_add_enum(obj, "format",
+                             "QCryptoSecretFormat",
+                             QCryptoSecretFormat_lookup,
+                             qcrypto_secret_prop_get_format,
+                             qcrypto_secret_prop_set_format,
+                             NULL);
+    object_property_add_str(obj, "data",
+                            qcrypto_secret_prop_get_data,
+                            qcrypto_secret_prop_set_data,
+                            NULL);
+    object_property_add_str(obj, "file",
+                            qcrypto_secret_prop_get_file,
+                            qcrypto_secret_prop_set_file,
+                            NULL);
+    object_property_add_str(obj, "keyid",
+                            qcrypto_secret_prop_get_keyid,
+                            qcrypto_secret_prop_set_keyid,
+                            NULL);
+    object_property_add_str(obj, "iv",
+                            qcrypto_secret_prop_get_iv,
+                            qcrypto_secret_prop_set_iv,
+                            NULL);
+}
+
+
+static void
+qcrypto_secret_finalize(Object *obj)
+{
+    QCryptoSecret *secret = QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj);
+
+    g_free(secret->iv);
+    g_free(secret->file);
+    g_free(secret->keyid);
+    g_free(secret->rawdata);
+    g_free(secret->data);
+}
+
+static void
+qcrypto_secret_class_init(ObjectClass *oc, void *data)
+{
+    UserCreatableClass *ucc = USER_CREATABLE_CLASS(oc);
+
+    ucc->complete = qcrypto_secret_complete;
+}
+
+
+int qcrypto_secret_lookup(const char *secretid,
+                          uint8_t **data,
+                          size_t *datalen,
+                          Error **errp)
+{
+    Object *obj;
+    QCryptoSecret *secret;
+
+    obj = object_resolve_path_component(
+        object_get_objects_root(), secretid);
+    if (!obj) {
+        error_setg(errp, "No secret with id '%s'", secretid);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    secret = (QCryptoSecret *)
+        object_dynamic_cast(obj,
+                            TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET);
+    if (!secret) {
+        error_setg(errp, "Object with id '%s' is not a secret",
+                   secretid);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (!secret->rawdata) {
+        error_setg(errp, "Secret with id '%s' has no data",
+                   secretid);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    *data = g_new0(uint8, secret->rawlen + 1);
+    memcpy(*data, secret->rawdata, secret->rawlen);
+    (*data)[secret->rawlen] = '\0';
+    *datalen = secret->rawlen;
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+
+char *qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_utf8(const char *secretid,
+                                    Error **errp)
+{
+    uint8_t *data;
+    size_t datalen;
+
+    if (qcrypto_secret_lookup(secretid,
+                              &data,
+                              &datalen,
+                              errp) < 0) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    if (!g_utf8_validate((const gchar*)data, datalen, NULL)) {
+        error_setg(errp,
+                   "Data from secret %s is not valid UTF-8",
+                   secretid);
+        g_free(data);
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    return (char *)data;
+}
+
+
+char *qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_base64(const char *secretid,
+                                      Error **errp)
+{
+    uint8_t *data;
+    size_t datalen;
+    char *ret;
+
+    if (qcrypto_secret_lookup(secretid,
+                              &data,
+                              &datalen,
+                              errp) < 0) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    ret = g_base64_encode(data, datalen);
+    g_free(data);
+    return ret;
+}
+
+
+static const TypeInfo qcrypto_secret_info = {
+    .parent = TYPE_OBJECT,
+    .name = TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+    .instance_size = sizeof(QCryptoSecret),
+    .instance_init = qcrypto_secret_init,
+    .instance_finalize = qcrypto_secret_finalize,
+    .class_size = sizeof(QCryptoSecretClass),
+    .class_init = qcrypto_secret_class_init,
+    .interfaces = (InterfaceInfo[]) {
+        { TYPE_USER_CREATABLE },
+        { }
+    }
+};
+
+
+static void
+qcrypto_secret_register_types(void)
+{
+    type_register_static(&qcrypto_secret_info);
+}
+
+
+type_init(qcrypto_secret_register_types);
diff --git a/include/crypto/secret.h b/include/crypto/secret.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..913519ae27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/crypto/secret.h
@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+/*
+ * QEMU crypto secret support
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2015 Red Hat, Inc.
+ *
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with this library; if not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ *
+ */
+
+#ifndef QCRYPTO_SECRET_H__
+#define QCRYPTO_SECRET_H__
+
+#include "qemu-common.h"
+#include "qapi/error.h"
+#include "qom/object.h"
+
+#define TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET "secret"
+#define QCRYPTO_SECRET(obj)                  \
+    OBJECT_CHECK(QCryptoSecret, (obj), TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET)
+
+typedef struct QCryptoSecret QCryptoSecret;
+typedef struct QCryptoSecretClass QCryptoSecretClass;
+
+/**
+ * QCryptoSecret:
+ *
+ * The QCryptoSecret object provides storage of secrets,
+ * which may be user passwords, encryption keys or any
+ * other kind of sensitive data that is represented as
+ * a sequence of bytes.
+ *
+ * The sensitive data associated with the secret can
+ * be provided directly via the 'data' property, or
+ * indirectly via the 'file' property. In the latter
+ * case there is support for file descriptor passing
+ * via the usual /dev/fdset/NN syntax that QEMU uses.
+ *
+ * The data for a secret can be provided in two formats,
+ * either as a UTF-8 string (the default), or as base64
+ * encoded 8-bit binary data. The latter is appropriate
+ * for raw encryption keys, while the former is appropriate
+ * for user entered passwords.
+ *
+ * The data may be optionally encrypted with AES-256-CBC,
+ * and the decryption key provided by another
+ * QCryptoSecret instance identified by the 'keyid'
+ * property. When passing sensitive data directly
+ * via the 'data' property it is strongly recommended
+ * to use the AES encryption facility to prevent the
+ * sensitive data being exposed in the process listing
+ * or system log files.
+ *
+ * Providing data directly, insecurely (suitable for
+ * ad hoc developer testing only)
+ *
+ *  $QEMU -object secret,id=sec0,data=letmein
+ *
+ * Providing data indirectly:
+ *
+ *  # printf "letmein" > password.txt
+ *  # $QEMU \
+ *      -object secret,id=sec0,file=password.txt
+ *
+ * Using a master encryption key with data.
+ *
+ * The master key needs to be created as 32 secure
+ * random bytes (optionally base64 encoded)
+ *
+ *  # openssl rand -base64 32 > key.b64
+ *  # KEY=$(base64 -d key.b64 | hexdump  -v -e '/1 "%02X"')
+ *
+ * Each secret to be encrypted needs to have a random
+ * initialization vector generated. These do not need
+ * to be kept secret
+ *
+ *  # openssl rand -base64 16 > iv.b64
+ *  # IV=$(base64 -d iv.b64 | hexdump  -v -e '/1 "%02X"')
+ *
+ * A secret to be defined can now be encrypted
+ *
+ *  # SECRET=$(printf "letmein" |
+ *             openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -a -K $KEY -iv $IV)
+ *
+ * When launching QEMU, create a master secret pointing
+ * to key.b64 and specify that to be used to decrypt
+ * the user password
+ *
+ *  # $QEMU \
+ *      -object secret,id=secmaster0,format=base64,file=key.b64 \
+ *      -object secret,id=sec0,keyid=secmaster0,format=base64,\
+ *          data=$SECRET,iv=$(<iv.b64)
+ *
+ * When encrypting, the data can still be provided via an
+ * external file, in which case it is possible to use either
+ * raw binary data, or base64 encoded. This example uses
+ * raw format
+ *
+ *  # printf "letmein" |
+ *       openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -K $KEY -iv $IV -o pw.aes
+ *  # $QEMU \
+ *      -object secret,id=secmaster0,format=base64,file=key.b64 \
+ *      -object secret,id=sec0,keyid=secmaster0,\
+ *          file=pw.aes,iv=$(<iv.b64)
+ *
+ * Note that the ciphertext can be in either raw or base64
+ * format, as indicated by the 'format' parameter, but the
+ * plaintext resulting from decryption is expected to always
+ * be in raw format.
+ */
+
+struct QCryptoSecret {
+    Object parent_obj;
+    uint8_t *rawdata;
+    size_t rawlen;
+    QCryptoSecretFormat format;
+    char *data;
+    char *file;
+    char *keyid;
+    char *iv;
+};
+
+
+struct QCryptoSecretClass {
+    ObjectClass parent_class;
+};
+
+
+extern int qcrypto_secret_lookup(const char *secretid,
+                                 uint8_t **data,
+                                 size_t *datalen,
+                                 Error **errp);
+extern char *qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_utf8(const char *secretid,
+                                           Error **errp);
+extern char *qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_base64(const char *secretid,
+                                             Error **errp);
+
+#endif /* QCRYPTO_SECRET_H__ */
diff --git a/qapi/crypto.json b/qapi/crypto.json
index b058b14d7b..4012659169 100644
--- a/qapi/crypto.json
+++ b/qapi/crypto.json
@@ -19,3 +19,17 @@
 { 'enum': 'QCryptoTLSCredsEndpoint',
   'prefix': 'QCRYPTO_TLS_CREDS_ENDPOINT',
   'data': ['client', 'server']}
+
+
+##
+# QCryptoSecretFormat:
+#
+# The data format that the secret is provided in
+#
+# @raw: raw bytes. When encoded in JSON only valid UTF-8 sequences can be used
+# @base64: arbitrary base64 encoded binary data
+# Since: 2.6
+##
+{ 'enum': 'QCryptoSecretFormat',
+  'prefix': 'QCRYPTO_SECRET_FORMAT',
+  'data': ['raw', 'base64']}
diff --git a/qemu-options.hx b/qemu-options.hx
index 5affc82e4c..f37a2eba02 100644
--- a/qemu-options.hx
+++ b/qemu-options.hx
@@ -3678,6 +3678,83 @@ Dump the network traffic on netdev @var{dev} to the file specified by
 The file format is libpcap, so it can be analyzed with tools such as tcpdump
 or Wireshark.
 
+@item -object secret,id=@var{id},data=@var{string},format=@var{raw|base64}[,keyid=@var{secretid},iv=@var{string}]
+@item -object secret,id=@var{id},file=@var{filename},format=@var{raw|base64}[,keyid=@var{secretid},iv=@var{string}]
+
+Defines a secret to store a password, encryption key, or some other sensitive
+data. The sensitive data can either be passed directly via the @var{data}
+parameter, or indirectly via the @var{file} parameter. Using the @var{data}
+parameter is insecure unless the sensitive data is encrypted.
+
+The sensitive data can be provided in raw format (the default), or base64.
+When encoded as JSON, the raw format only supports valid UTF-8 characters,
+so base64 is recommended for sending binary data. QEMU will convert from
+which ever format is provided to the format it needs internally. eg, an
+RBD password can be provided in raw format, even though it will be base64
+encoded when passed onto the RBD sever.
+
+For added protection, it is possible to encrypt the data associated with
+a secret using the AES-256-CBC cipher. Use of encryption is indicated
+by providing the @var{keyid} and @var{iv} parameters. The @var{keyid}
+parameter provides the ID of a previously defined secret that contains
+the AES-256 decryption key. This key should be 32-bytes long and be
+base64 encoded. The @var{iv} parameter provides the random initialization
+vector used for encryption of this particular secret and should be a
+base64 encrypted string of the 32-byte IV.
+
+The simplest (insecure) usage is to provide the secret inline
+
+@example
+
+ # $QEMU -object secret,id=sec0,data=letmein,format=raw
+
+@end example
+
+The simplest secure usage is to provide the secret via a file
+
+ # echo -n "letmein" > mypasswd.txt
+ # $QEMU -object secret,id=sec0,file=mypasswd.txt,format=raw
+
+For greater security, AES-256-CBC should be used. To illustrate usage,
+consider the openssl command line tool which can encrypt the data. Note
+that when encrypting, the plaintext must be padded to the cipher block
+size (32 bytes) using the standard PKCS#5/6 compatible padding algorithm.
+
+First a master key needs to be created in base64 encoding:
+
+@example
+ # openssl rand -base64 32 > key.b64
+ # KEY=$(base64 -d key.b64 | hexdump  -v -e '/1 "%02X"')
+@end example
+
+Each secret to be encrypted needs to have a random initialization vector
+generated. These do not need to be kept secret
+
+@example
+ # openssl rand -base64 16 > iv.b64
+ # IV=$(base64 -d iv.b64 | hexdump  -v -e '/1 "%02X"')
+@end example
+
+The secret to be defined can now be encrypted, in this case we're
+telling openssl to base64 encode the result, but it could be left
+as raw bytes if desired.
+
+@example
+ # SECRET=$(echo -n "letmein" |
+            openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -a -K $KEY -iv $IV)
+@end example
+
+When launching QEMU, create a master secret pointing to @code{key.b64}
+and specify that to be used to decrypt the user password. Pass the
+contents of @code{iv.b64} to the second secret
+
+@example
+ # $QEMU \
+     -object secret,id=secmaster0,format=base64,file=key.b64 \
+     -object secret,id=sec0,keyid=secmaster0,format=base64,\
+         data=$SECRET,iv=$(<iv.b64)
+@end example
+
 @end table
 
 ETEXI
diff --git a/tests/.gitignore b/tests/.gitignore
index 596fef3a34..787c95c73d 100644
--- a/tests/.gitignore
+++ b/tests/.gitignore
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ test-blockjob-txn
 test-coroutine
 test-crypto-cipher
 test-crypto-hash
+test-crypto-secret
 test-crypto-tlscredsx509
 test-crypto-tlscredsx509-work/
 test-crypto-tlscredsx509-certs/
diff --git a/tests/Makefile b/tests/Makefile
index 3ae57b87a9..7d2a0d36ee 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile
+++ b/tests/Makefile
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ check-unit-y += tests/test-write-threshold$(EXESUF)
 gcov-files-test-write-threshold-y = block/write-threshold.c
 check-unit-$(CONFIG_GNUTLS_HASH) += tests/test-crypto-hash$(EXESUF)
 check-unit-y += tests/test-crypto-cipher$(EXESUF)
+check-unit-y += tests/test-crypto-secret$(EXESUF)
 check-unit-$(CONFIG_GNUTLS) += tests/test-crypto-tlscredsx509$(EXESUF)
 check-unit-$(CONFIG_GNUTLS) += tests/test-crypto-tlssession$(EXESUF)
 check-unit-$(CONFIG_LINUX) += tests/test-qga$(EXESUF)
@@ -467,6 +468,7 @@ tests/test-mul64$(EXESUF): tests/test-mul64.o $(test-util-obj-y)
 tests/test-bitops$(EXESUF): tests/test-bitops.o $(test-util-obj-y)
 tests/test-crypto-hash$(EXESUF): tests/test-crypto-hash.o $(test-crypto-obj-y)
 tests/test-crypto-cipher$(EXESUF): tests/test-crypto-cipher.o $(test-crypto-obj-y)
+tests/test-crypto-secret$(EXESUF): tests/test-crypto-secret.o $(test-crypto-obj-y)
 
 tests/crypto-tls-x509-helpers.o-cflags := $(TASN1_CFLAGS)
 tests/crypto-tls-x509-helpers.o-libs := $(TASN1_LIBS)
diff --git a/tests/test-crypto-secret.c b/tests/test-crypto-secret.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a49c8e31e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test-crypto-secret.c
@@ -0,0 +1,452 @@
+/*
+ * QEMU Crypto secret handling
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2015 Red Hat, Inc.
+ *
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with this library; if not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ *
+ */
+
+#include <glib.h>
+
+#include "crypto/init.h"
+#include "crypto/secret.h"
+
+static void test_secret_direct(void)
+{
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data", "123456",
+        NULL);
+
+    char *pw = qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_utf8("sec0",
+                                             &error_abort);
+
+    g_assert_cmpstr(pw, ==, "123456");
+
+    object_unparent(sec);
+    g_free(pw);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_indirect_good(void)
+{
+    Object *sec;
+    char *fname = NULL;
+    int fd = g_file_open_tmp("secretXXXXXX",
+                             &fname,
+                             NULL);
+
+    g_assert(fd >= 0);
+    g_assert_nonnull(fname);
+
+    g_assert(write(fd, "123456", 6) == 6);
+
+    sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        &error_abort,
+        "file", fname,
+        NULL);
+
+    char *pw = qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_utf8("sec0",
+                                             &error_abort);
+
+    g_assert_cmpstr(pw, ==, "123456");
+
+    object_unparent(sec);
+    g_free(pw);
+    close(fd);
+    g_free(fname);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_indirect_badfile(void)
+{
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        NULL,
+        "file", "does-not-exist",
+        NULL);
+
+    g_assert(sec == NULL);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_indirect_emptyfile(void)
+{
+    Object *sec;
+    char *fname = NULL;
+    int fd = g_file_open_tmp("secretXXXXXX",
+                             &fname,
+                             NULL);
+
+    g_assert(fd >= 0);
+    g_assert_nonnull(fname);
+
+    sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        &error_abort,
+        "file", fname,
+        NULL);
+
+    char *pw = qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_utf8("sec0",
+                                             &error_abort);
+
+    g_assert_cmpstr(pw, ==, "");
+
+    object_unparent(sec);
+    g_free(pw);
+    close(fd);
+    g_free(fname);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_noconv_base64_good(void)
+{
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data", "MTIzNDU2",
+        "format", "base64",
+        NULL);
+
+    char *pw = qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_base64("sec0",
+                                               &error_abort);
+
+    g_assert_cmpstr(pw, ==, "MTIzNDU2");
+
+    object_unparent(sec);
+    g_free(pw);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_noconv_base64_bad(void)
+{
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        NULL,
+        "data", "MTI$NDU2",
+        "format", "base64",
+        NULL);
+
+    g_assert(sec == NULL);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_noconv_utf8(void)
+{
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data", "123456",
+        "format", "raw",
+        NULL);
+
+    char *pw = qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_utf8("sec0",
+                                             &error_abort);
+
+    g_assert_cmpstr(pw, ==, "123456");
+
+    object_unparent(sec);
+    g_free(pw);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_conv_base64_utf8valid(void)
+{
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data", "MTIzNDU2",
+        "format", "base64",
+        NULL);
+
+    char *pw = qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_utf8("sec0",
+                                             &error_abort);
+
+    g_assert_cmpstr(pw, ==, "123456");
+
+    object_unparent(sec);
+    g_free(pw);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_conv_base64_utf8invalid(void)
+{
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data", "f0VMRgIBAQAAAA==",
+        "format", "base64",
+        NULL);
+
+    char *pw = qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_utf8("sec0",
+                                             NULL);
+    g_assert(pw == NULL);
+
+    object_unparent(sec);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_conv_utf8_base64(void)
+{
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data", "123456",
+        NULL);
+
+    char *pw = qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_base64("sec0",
+                                               &error_abort);
+
+    g_assert_cmpstr(pw, ==, "MTIzNDU2");
+
+    object_unparent(sec);
+    g_free(pw);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_crypt_raw(void)
+{
+    Object *master = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "master",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data", "9miloPQCzGy+TL6aonfzVcptibCmCIhKzrnlfwiWivk=",
+        "format", "base64",
+        NULL);
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data",
+        "\xCC\xBF\xF7\x09\x46\x19\x0B\x52\x2A\x3A\xB4\x6B\xCD\x7A\xB0\xB0",
+        "format", "raw",
+        "keyid", "master",
+        "iv", "0I7Gw/TKuA+Old2W2apQ3g==",
+        NULL);
+
+    char *pw = qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_utf8("sec0",
+                                             &error_abort);
+
+    g_assert_cmpstr(pw, ==, "123456");
+
+    object_unparent(sec);
+    object_unparent(master);
+    g_free(pw);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_crypt_base64(void)
+{
+    Object *master = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "master",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data", "9miloPQCzGy+TL6aonfzVcptibCmCIhKzrnlfwiWivk=",
+        "format", "base64",
+        NULL);
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data", "zL/3CUYZC1IqOrRrzXqwsA==",
+        "format", "base64",
+        "keyid", "master",
+        "iv", "0I7Gw/TKuA+Old2W2apQ3g==",
+        NULL);
+
+    char *pw = qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_utf8("sec0",
+                                             &error_abort);
+
+    g_assert_cmpstr(pw, ==, "123456");
+
+    object_unparent(sec);
+    object_unparent(master);
+    g_free(pw);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_crypt_short_key(void)
+{
+    Object *master = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "master",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data", "9miloPQCzGy+TL6aonfzVc",
+        "format", "base64",
+        NULL);
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        NULL,
+        "data", "zL/3CUYZC1IqOrRrzXqwsA==",
+        "format", "raw",
+        "keyid", "master",
+        "iv", "0I7Gw/TKuA+Old2W2apQ3g==",
+        NULL);
+
+    g_assert(sec == NULL);
+    object_unparent(master);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_crypt_short_iv(void)
+{
+    Object *master = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "master",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data", "9miloPQCzGy+TL6aonfzVcptibCmCIhKzrnlfwiWivk=",
+        "format", "base64",
+        NULL);
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        NULL,
+        "data", "zL/3CUYZC1IqOrRrzXqwsA==",
+        "format", "raw",
+        "keyid", "master",
+        "iv", "0I7Gw/TKuA+Old2W2a",
+        NULL);
+
+    g_assert(sec == NULL);
+    object_unparent(master);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_crypt_missing_iv(void)
+{
+    Object *master = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "master",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data", "9miloPQCzGy+TL6aonfzVcptibCmCIhKzrnlfwiWivk=",
+        "format", "base64",
+        NULL);
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        NULL,
+        "data", "zL/3CUYZC1IqOrRrzXqwsA==",
+        "format", "raw",
+        "keyid", "master",
+        NULL);
+
+    g_assert(sec == NULL);
+    object_unparent(master);
+}
+
+
+static void test_secret_crypt_bad_iv(void)
+{
+    Object *master = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "master",
+        &error_abort,
+        "data", "9miloPQCzGy+TL6aonfzVcptibCmCIhKzrnlfwiWivk=",
+        "format", "base64",
+        NULL);
+    Object *sec = object_new_with_props(
+        TYPE_QCRYPTO_SECRET,
+        object_get_objects_root(),
+        "sec0",
+        NULL,
+        "data", "zL/3CUYZC1IqOrRrzXqwsA==",
+        "format", "raw",
+        "keyid", "master",
+        "iv", "0I7Gw/TK$$uA+Old2W2a",
+        NULL);
+
+    g_assert(sec == NULL);
+    object_unparent(master);
+}
+
+
+int main(int argc, char **argv)
+{
+    module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_QOM);
+    g_test_init(&argc, &argv, NULL);
+
+    g_assert(qcrypto_init(NULL) == 0);
+
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/direct",
+                    test_secret_direct);
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/indirect/good",
+                    test_secret_indirect_good);
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/indirect/badfile",
+                    test_secret_indirect_badfile);
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/indirect/emptyfile",
+                    test_secret_indirect_emptyfile);
+
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/noconv/base64/good",
+                    test_secret_noconv_base64_good);
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/noconv/base64/bad",
+                    test_secret_noconv_base64_bad);
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/noconv/utf8",
+                    test_secret_noconv_utf8);
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/conv/base64/utf8valid",
+                    test_secret_conv_base64_utf8valid);
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/conv/base64/utf8invalid",
+                    test_secret_conv_base64_utf8invalid);
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/conv/utf8/base64",
+                    test_secret_conv_utf8_base64);
+
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/crypt/raw",
+                    test_secret_crypt_raw);
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/crypt/base64",
+                    test_secret_crypt_base64);
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/crypt/shortkey",
+                    test_secret_crypt_short_key);
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/crypt/shortiv",
+                    test_secret_crypt_short_iv);
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/crypt/missingiv",
+                    test_secret_crypt_missing_iv);
+    g_test_add_func("/crypto/secret/crypt/badiv",
+                    test_secret_crypt_bad_iv);
+
+    return g_test_run();
+}