diff --git a/shared/systemd/nm-sd-utils-shared.c b/shared/systemd/nm-sd-utils-shared.c
index 6c71702502..0e89fbb7d1 100644
--- a/shared/systemd/nm-sd-utils-shared.c
+++ b/shared/systemd/nm-sd-utils-shared.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include "nm-sd-adapt-shared.h"
 
 #include "path-util.h"
+#include "hexdecoct.h"
 
 /*****************************************************************************/
 
@@ -43,3 +44,39 @@ nm_sd_utils_path_startswith (const char *path, const char *prefix)
 {
 	return path_startswith (path, prefix);
 }
+
+/*****************************************************************************/
+
+gboolean
+nm_sd_utils_unbase64char (char ch, gboolean accept_padding_equal)
+{
+	if (   ch == '='
+	    && accept_padding_equal)
+		return G_MAXINT;
+	return unbase64char (ch);
+}
+
+/**
+ * nm_sd_utils_unbase64mem:
+ * @p: a valid base64 string. Whitespace is ignored, but invalid encodings
+ *   will cause the function to fail.
+ * @l: the length of @p. @p is not treated as NUL terminated string but
+ *   merely as a buffer of ascii characters.
+ * @mem: (transfer full): the decoded buffer on success.
+ * @len: the length of @mem on success.
+ *
+ * glib provides g_base64_decode(), but that does not report any errors
+ * from invalid encodings. Expose systemd's implementation which does
+ * reject invalid inputs.
+ *
+ * Returns: a non-negative code on success. Invalid encoding let the
+ *   function fail.
+ */
+int
+nm_sd_utils_unbase64mem (const char *p,
+                         size_t l,
+                         guint8 **mem,
+                         size_t *len)
+{
+	return unbase64mem (p, l, (void **) mem, len);
+}
diff --git a/shared/systemd/nm-sd-utils-shared.h b/shared/systemd/nm-sd-utils-shared.h
index 3103b3c7c4..eddf0c285a 100644
--- a/shared/systemd/nm-sd-utils-shared.h
+++ b/shared/systemd/nm-sd-utils-shared.h
@@ -29,4 +29,10 @@ const char *nm_sd_utils_path_startswith (const char *path, const char *prefix);
 
 /*****************************************************************************/
 
+int nm_sd_utils_unbase64char (char ch, gboolean accept_padding_equal);
+
+int nm_sd_utils_unbase64mem (const char *p, size_t l, guint8 **mem, size_t *len);
+
+/*****************************************************************************/
+
 #endif /* __NM_SD_UTILS_SHARED_H__ */
diff --git a/shared/systemd/src/basic/hexdecoct.c b/shared/systemd/src/basic/hexdecoct.c
index 6a9869bcc4..ffd9a8f60f 100644
--- a/shared/systemd/src/basic/hexdecoct.c
+++ b/shared/systemd/src/basic/hexdecoct.c
@@ -515,6 +515,7 @@ char base64char(int x) {
                                       "0123456789+/";
         return table[x & 63];
 }
+#endif /* NM_IGNORED */
 
 int unbase64char(char c) {
         unsigned offset;
@@ -545,6 +546,7 @@ int unbase64char(char c) {
         return -EINVAL;
 }
 
+#if 0 /* NM_IGNORED */
 ssize_t base64mem(const void *p, size_t l, char **out) {
         char *r, *z;
         const uint8_t *x;
@@ -644,6 +646,7 @@ int base64_append(
                 /* leave plen on the left, keep last column free */
                 return base64_append_width(prefix, plen, NULL, plen, p, l, width - plen - 1);
 }
+#endif /* NM_IGNORED */
 
 static int unbase64_next(const char **p, size_t *l) {
         int ret;
@@ -775,6 +778,7 @@ int unbase64mem(const char *p, size_t l, void **ret, size_t *ret_size) {
         return 0;
 }
 
+#if 0 /* NM_IGNORED */
 void hexdump(FILE *f, const void *p, size_t s) {
         const uint8_t *b = p;
         unsigned n = 0;
diff --git a/src/tests/test-systemd.c b/src/tests/test-systemd.c
index 2d018517c5..05e2277665 100644
--- a/src/tests/test-systemd.c
+++ b/src/tests/test-systemd.c
@@ -225,6 +225,101 @@ test_path_equal (void)
 
 /*****************************************************************************/
 
+static void
+_test_unbase64char (char ch, gboolean maybe_invalid)
+{
+	int r;
+
+	r = nm_sd_utils_unbase64char (ch, FALSE);
+
+	if (ch == '=') {
+		g_assert (!maybe_invalid);
+		g_assert_cmpint (r, <, 0);
+		g_assert_cmpint (nm_sd_utils_unbase64char (ch, TRUE), ==, G_MAXINT);
+	} else {
+		g_assert_cmpint (r, ==, nm_sd_utils_unbase64char (ch, TRUE));
+		if (r >= 0)
+			g_assert_cmpint (r, <=, 255);
+		if (!maybe_invalid)
+			g_assert_cmpint (r, >=, 0);
+	}
+}
+
+static void
+_test_unbase64mem_mem (const char *base64, const guint8 *expected_arr, gsize expected_len)
+{
+	gs_free char *expected_base64 = NULL;
+	int r;
+	gs_free guint8 *exp2_arr = NULL;
+	gs_free guint8 *exp3_arr = NULL;
+	gsize exp2_len;
+	gsize exp3_len;
+	gsize i;
+
+	expected_base64 = g_base64_encode (expected_arr, expected_len);
+
+	for (i = 0; expected_base64[i]; i++)
+		_test_unbase64char (expected_base64[i], FALSE);
+
+	r = nm_sd_utils_unbase64mem (expected_base64, strlen (expected_base64), &exp2_arr, &exp2_len);
+	g_assert_cmpint (r, ==, 0);
+	g_assert_cmpmem (expected_arr, expected_len, exp2_arr, exp2_len);
+
+	if (!nm_streq (base64, expected_base64)) {
+		r = nm_sd_utils_unbase64mem (base64, strlen (base64), &exp3_arr, &exp3_len);
+		g_assert_cmpint (r, ==, 0);
+		g_assert_cmpmem (expected_arr, expected_len, exp3_arr, exp3_len);
+	}
+}
+
+#define _test_unbase64mem(base64, expected_str) _test_unbase64mem_mem (base64, (const guint8 *) ""expected_str"", NM_STRLEN (expected_str))
+
+static void
+_test_unbase64mem_inval (const char *base64)
+{
+	gs_free guint8 *exp_arr = NULL;
+	gsize exp_len = 0;
+	int r;
+
+	r = nm_sd_utils_unbase64mem (base64, strlen (base64), &exp_arr, &exp_len);
+	g_assert_cmpint (r, <, 0);
+	g_assert (!exp_arr);
+	g_assert (exp_len == 0);
+}
+
+static void
+test_nm_sd_utils_unbase64mem (void)
+{
+	gs_free char *rnd_base64 = NULL;
+	guint8 rnd_buf[30];
+	guint i, rnd_len;
+
+	_test_unbase64mem ("", "");
+	_test_unbase64mem ("  ", "");
+	_test_unbase64mem (" Y Q == ", "a");
+	_test_unbase64mem (" Y   WJjZGV mZ 2g = ", "abcdefgh");
+	_test_unbase64mem_inval (" Y   %WJjZGV mZ 2g = ");
+	_test_unbase64mem_inval (" Y   %WJjZGV mZ 2g = a");
+	_test_unbase64mem ("YQ==", "a");
+	_test_unbase64mem_inval ("YQ==a");
+
+	rnd_len = nmtst_get_rand_int () % sizeof (rnd_buf);
+	for (i = 0; i < rnd_len; i++)
+		rnd_buf[i] = nmtst_get_rand_int () % 256;
+	rnd_base64 = g_base64_encode (rnd_buf, rnd_len);
+	_test_unbase64mem_mem (rnd_base64, rnd_buf, rnd_len);
+
+	_test_unbase64char ('=', FALSE);
+	for (i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
+		char ch = nmtst_get_rand_int () % 256;
+
+		if (ch != '=')
+			_test_unbase64char (ch, TRUE);
+	}
+}
+
+/*****************************************************************************/
+
 NMTST_DEFINE ();
 
 int
@@ -236,6 +331,7 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 	g_test_add_func ("/systemd/lldp/create", test_lldp_create);
 	g_test_add_func ("/systemd/sd-event", test_sd_event);
 	g_test_add_func ("/systemd/test_path_equal", test_path_equal);
+	g_test_add_func ("/systemd/test_nm_sd_utils_unbase64mem", test_nm_sd_utils_unbase64mem);
 
 	return g_test_run ();
 }