diff --git a/src/security/security_dac.c b/src/security/security_dac.c
index 2dbaf29ff5654f95fd7302f2a1c9a509db2e168b..5aea386e7c87578fd7238f2fdf3dcbca57c9b3e2 100644
--- a/src/security/security_dac.c
+++ b/src/security/security_dac.c
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ virSecurityDACChownListFree(void *opaque)
         VIR_FREE(list->items[i]);
     }
     VIR_FREE(list->items);
+    virObjectUnref(list->manager);
     VIR_FREE(list);
 }
 
@@ -511,12 +512,12 @@ virSecurityDACTransactionStart(virSecurityManagerPtr mgr)
     if (VIR_ALLOC(list) < 0)
         return -1;
 
-    list->manager = mgr;
+    list->manager = virObjectRef(mgr);
 
     if (virThreadLocalSet(&chownList, list) < 0) {
         virReportSystemError(errno, "%s",
                              _("Unable to set thread local variable"));
-        VIR_FREE(list);
+        virSecurityDACChownListFree(list);
         return -1;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/security/security_selinux.c b/src/security/security_selinux.c
index 015abc29f56dea1f4b6e836c97c015696247a112..467d1e6bfe287f92df89ca8f1ae38ba4941eef38 100644
--- a/src/security/security_selinux.c
+++ b/src/security/security_selinux.c
@@ -157,6 +157,7 @@ virSecuritySELinuxContextListFree(void *opaque)
         virSecuritySELinuxContextItemFree(list->items[i]);
 
     VIR_FREE(list->items);
+    virObjectUnref(list->manager);
     VIR_FREE(list);
 }
 
@@ -1055,12 +1056,12 @@ virSecuritySELinuxTransactionStart(virSecurityManagerPtr mgr)
     if (VIR_ALLOC(list) < 0)
         return -1;
 
-    list->manager = mgr;
+    list->manager = virObjectRef(mgr);
 
     if (virThreadLocalSet(&contextList, list) < 0) {
         virReportSystemError(errno, "%s",
                              _("Unable to set thread local variable"));
-        VIR_FREE(list);
+        virSecuritySELinuxContextListFree(list);
         return -1;
     }