diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index 17d487f5ac68e1792f01b6581574ec845462e553..65ca1175e1e3c06feb462e6db841f506f19e8cd7 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -2982,8 +2982,6 @@ static int qemuSetupDiskCgroup(virCgroupPtr cgroup,
             }
         }
 
-        memset(&meta, 0, sizeof(meta));
-
         rc = virStorageFileGetMetadata(path, &meta);
 
         if (path != disk->src)
@@ -3030,8 +3028,6 @@ static int qemuTeardownDiskCgroup(virCgroupPtr cgroup,
             }
         }
 
-        memset(&meta, 0, sizeof(meta));
-
         rc = virStorageFileGetMetadata(path, &meta);
 
         if (path != disk->src)
@@ -9386,7 +9382,6 @@ static int qemuDomainGetBlockInfo(virDomainPtr dom,
     }
 
     /* Probe for magic formats */
-    memset(&meta, 0, sizeof(meta));
     if (virStorageFileGetMetadataFromFD(path, fd, &meta) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_security_dac.c b/src/qemu/qemu_security_dac.c
index a816441e84d78d62d90b5f7808827cea1ecaf63f..52150f7bd482332488beb3755b4ce890aef196d9 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_security_dac.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_security_dac.c
@@ -115,8 +115,6 @@ qemuSecurityDACSetSecurityImageLabel(virDomainObjPtr vm ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
         virStorageFileMetadata meta;
         int ret;
 
-        memset(&meta, 0, sizeof(meta));
-
         ret = virStorageFileGetMetadata(path, &meta);
 
         if (path != disk->src)
diff --git a/src/security/security_selinux.c b/src/security/security_selinux.c
index 669ef421cc7cb497fb4d8db3867db6eb69649501..d90e17c8e74bf98791e066f037d1c22710dce1a7 100644
--- a/src/security/security_selinux.c
+++ b/src/security/security_selinux.c
@@ -454,8 +454,6 @@ SELinuxSetSecurityImageLabel(virDomainObjPtr vm,
         virStorageFileMetadata meta;
         int ret;
 
-        memset(&meta, 0, sizeof(meta));
-
         ret = virStorageFileGetMetadata(path, &meta);
 
         if (path != disk->src)
diff --git a/src/security/virt-aa-helper.c b/src/security/virt-aa-helper.c
index 88cdc9da845e4d2d0e97cde35d2da30d3224fee6..c66f1075c7e25708a0a3ea9efda1749001626171 100644
--- a/src/security/virt-aa-helper.c
+++ b/src/security/virt-aa-helper.c
@@ -830,8 +830,6 @@ get_files(vahControl * ctl)
             do {
                 virStorageFileMetadata meta;
 
-                memset(&meta, 0, sizeof(meta));
-
                 ret = virStorageFileGetMetadata(path, &meta);
 
                 if (path != ctl->def->disks[i]->src)
diff --git a/src/util/storage_file.c b/src/util/storage_file.c
index a07bedce4a21e63ed89e4c0ecccb42fc32835898..b3ae905fe5ce87381d20137be3ed027a45452e3d 100644
--- a/src/util/storage_file.c
+++ b/src/util/storage_file.c
@@ -275,6 +275,8 @@ virStorageFileGetMetadataFromFD(const char *path,
     unsigned char head[20*512]; /* vmdk4GetBackingStore needs this much. */
     int len, i;
 
+    memset(meta, 0, sizeof (*meta));
+
     /* If all else fails, call it a raw file */
     meta->format = VIR_STORAGE_FILE_RAW;