diff --git a/src/remote/remote_driver.c b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
index 94d3b8375ef845a26e999339643f12b024b6447e..81ecef15e1260c43ac27d70d586256afe7b4ac0b 100644
--- a/src/remote/remote_driver.c
+++ b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
@@ -659,7 +659,8 @@ doRemoteOpen(virConnectPtr conn,
                                               sshauth,
                                               netcat,
                                               sockname,
-                                              auth);
+                                              auth,
+                                              conn->uri);
         if (!priv->client)
             goto failed;
 
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetclient.c b/src/rpc/virnetclient.c
index fb5c1083708f6db0321eeef7144f7e675b327b8f..9deec9e21203ef83ede5f05429f7e5fa8280d707 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetclient.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetclient.c
@@ -389,7 +389,8 @@ virNetClientPtr virNetClientNewLibSSH2(const char *host,
                                        const char *authMethods,
                                        const char *netcatPath,
                                        const char *socketPath,
-                                       virConnectAuthPtr authPtr)
+                                       virConnectAuthPtr authPtr,
+                                       virURIPtr uri)
 {
     virNetSocketPtr sock = NULL;
     virNetClientPtr ret = NULL;
@@ -443,9 +444,9 @@ virNetClientPtr virNetClientNewLibSSH2(const char *host,
 
     if (!authMethods) {
         if (privkey)
-            authMethods = "agent,privkey,keyboard-interactive";
+            authMethods = "agent,privkey,password,keyboard-interactive";
         else
-            authMethods = "agent,keyboard-interactive";
+            authMethods = "agent,password,keyboard-interactive";
     }
 
     DEFAULT_VALUE(host, "localhost");
@@ -471,9 +472,9 @@ virNetClientPtr virNetClientNewLibSSH2(const char *host,
     if (!(command = virBufferContentAndReset(&buf)))
         goto no_memory;
 
-    if (virNetSocketNewConnectLibSSH2(host, port, username, NULL, privkey,
+    if (virNetSocketNewConnectLibSSH2(host, port, username, privkey,
                                       knownhosts, knownHostsVerify, authMethods,
-                                      command, authPtr, &sock) != 0)
+                                      command, authPtr, uri, &sock) != 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
     if (!(ret = virNetClientNew(sock, NULL)))
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetclient.h b/src/rpc/virnetclient.h
index 4204a9354dde8ec02d5c4872e24c46e09164b304..3bcde6324361ab7ff5c7424816ffcfe1e3e7a4a1 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetclient.h
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetclient.h
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 # include "virnetclientprogram.h"
 # include "virnetclientstream.h"
 # include "virobject.h"
+# include "viruri.h"
 
 
 virNetClientPtr virNetClientNewUNIX(const char *path,
@@ -61,7 +62,8 @@ virNetClientPtr virNetClientNewLibSSH2(const char *host,
                                        const char *authMethods,
                                        const char *netcatPath,
                                        const char *socketPath,
-                                       virConnectAuthPtr authPtr);
+                                       virConnectAuthPtr authPtr,
+                                       virURIPtr uri);
 
 virNetClientPtr virNetClientNewExternal(const char **cmdargv);
 
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetsocket.c b/src/rpc/virnetsocket.c
index 1bfd87bf8577d16d79c4c037863aad5481631098..ae81512e71139a4628f3f1a9fda4cbaef5c92f2f 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetsocket.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetsocket.c
@@ -740,13 +740,13 @@ int
 virNetSocketNewConnectLibSSH2(const char *host,
                               const char *port,
                               const char *username,
-                              const char *password,
                               const char *privkey,
                               const char *knownHosts,
                               const char *knownHostsVerify,
                               const char *authMethods,
                               const char *command,
                               virConnectAuthPtr auth,
+                              virURIPtr uri,
                               virNetSocketPtr *retsock)
 {
     virNetSocketPtr sock = NULL;
@@ -808,8 +808,8 @@ virNetSocketNewConnectLibSSH2(const char *host,
             ret = virNetSSHSessionAuthAddKeyboardAuth(sess, username, -1);
         else if (STRCASEEQ(authMethod, "password"))
             ret = virNetSSHSessionAuthAddPasswordAuth(sess,
-                                                      username,
-                                                      password);
+                                                      uri,
+                                                      username);
         else if (STRCASEEQ(authMethod, "privkey"))
             ret = virNetSSHSessionAuthAddPrivKeyAuth(sess,
                                                      username,
@@ -854,13 +854,13 @@ int
 virNetSocketNewConnectLibSSH2(const char *host ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                               const char *port ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                               const char *username ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                              const char *password ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                               const char *privkey ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                               const char *knownHosts ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                               const char *knownHostsVerify ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                               const char *authMethods ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                               const char *command ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                               virConnectAuthPtr auth ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                              virURIPtr uri ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                               virNetSocketPtr *retsock ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
 {
     virReportSystemError(ENOSYS, "%s",
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetsocket.h b/src/rpc/virnetsocket.h
index ea42081d49ebbb02e7e7016a943fadbd14b36cdf..ca9ae914c096fc7074ff835212d14715907bef59 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetsocket.h
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetsocket.h
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 #  include "virnetsaslcontext.h"
 # endif
 # include "virjson.h"
+# include "viruri.h"
 
 typedef struct _virNetSocket virNetSocket;
 typedef virNetSocket *virNetSocketPtr;
@@ -84,13 +85,13 @@ int virNetSocketNewConnectSSH(const char *nodename,
 int virNetSocketNewConnectLibSSH2(const char *host,
                                   const char *port,
                                   const char *username,
-                                  const char *password,
                                   const char *privkey,
                                   const char *knownHosts,
                                   const char *knownHostsVerify,
                                   const char *authMethods,
                                   const char *command,
                                   virConnectAuthPtr auth,
+                                  virURIPtr uri,
                                   virNetSocketPtr *retsock);
 
 int virNetSocketNewConnectExternal(const char **cmdargv,
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetsshsession.c b/src/rpc/virnetsshsession.c
index 25a7efd75323564c0e25539809663a29de8a2b2b..816c54e6349009db193d455ac6701f68596423d5 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetsshsession.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetsshsession.c
@@ -991,31 +991,34 @@ virNetSSHSessionAuthReset(virNetSSHSessionPtr sess)
 
 int
 virNetSSHSessionAuthAddPasswordAuth(virNetSSHSessionPtr sess,
-                                    const char *username,
-                                    const char *password)
+                                    virURIPtr uri,
+                                    const char *username)
 {
     virNetSSHAuthMethodPtr auth;
     char *user = NULL;
-    char *pass = NULL;
 
-    if (!username || !password) {
-        virReportError(VIR_ERR_SSH, "%s",
-                       _("Username and password must be provided "
-                         "for password authentication"));
-        return -1;
+    if (uri) {
+        VIR_FREE(sess->authPath);
+
+        if (virAuthGetConfigFilePathURI(uri, &sess->authPath) < 0)
+            goto error;
     }
 
-    virObjectLock(sess);
+    if (!username) {
+        if (!(user = virAuthGetUsernamePath(sess->authPath, sess->cred,
+                                            "ssh", NULL, sess->hostname)))
+            goto error;
+    } else {
+        if (VIR_STRDUP(user, username) < 0)
+            goto error;
+    }
 
-    if (VIR_STRDUP(user, username) < 0 ||
-        VIR_STRDUP(pass, password) < 0)
-        goto error;
+    virObjectLock(sess);
 
     if (!(auth = virNetSSHSessionAuthMethodNew(sess)))
         goto error;
 
     auth->username = user;
-    auth->password = pass;
     auth->method = VIR_NET_SSH_AUTH_PASSWORD;
 
     virObjectUnlock(sess);
@@ -1023,7 +1026,6 @@ virNetSSHSessionAuthAddPasswordAuth(virNetSSHSessionPtr sess,
 
 error:
     VIR_FREE(user);
-    VIR_FREE(pass);
     virObjectUnlock(sess);
     return -1;
 }
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetsshsession.h b/src/rpc/virnetsshsession.h
index 8bd2445f4a42d859c8c19bf8ec1952ae3b003dac..65bd76a94b6f8d158ad06f3c34e057a6e8abf1a2 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetsshsession.h
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetsshsession.h
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 # define __VIR_NET_SSH_SESSION_H__
 
 # include "internal.h"
+# include "viruri.h"
 
 typedef struct _virNetSSHSession virNetSSHSession;
 typedef virNetSSHSession *virNetSSHSessionPtr;
@@ -50,8 +51,8 @@ int virNetSSHSessionAuthSetCallback(virNetSSHSessionPtr sess,
                                     virConnectAuthPtr auth);
 
 int virNetSSHSessionAuthAddPasswordAuth(virNetSSHSessionPtr sess,
-                                        const char *username,
-                                        const char *password);
+                                        virURIPtr uri,
+                                        const char *username);
 
 int virNetSSHSessionAuthAddAgentAuth(virNetSSHSessionPtr sess,
                                      const char *username);