diff --git a/shared/nm-glib-aux/nm-secret-utils.c b/shared/nm-glib-aux/nm-secret-utils.c
index 5b0afe4694..282511d10d 100644
--- a/shared/nm-glib-aux/nm-secret-utils.c
+++ b/shared/nm-glib-aux/nm-secret-utils.c
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
 
 #include "nm-secret-utils.h"
 
+#include <malloc.h>
+
 /*****************************************************************************/
 
 void
@@ -32,6 +34,30 @@ nm_explicit_bzero (void *s, gsize n)
 #endif
 }
 
+void
+nm_free_secret (char *secret)
+{
+	gsize len;
+
+	if (!secret)
+		return;
+
+#if GLIB_CHECK_VERSION(2,44,0)
+	/* Here we mix malloc() and g_malloc() API. Usually we avoid this,
+	 * however since glib 2.44.0 we are in fact guaranteed that g_malloc()/g_free()
+	 * just wraps malloc()/free(), so this is actually fine.
+	 *
+	 * See https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/glib/commit/3be6ed60aa58095691bd697344765e715a327fc1
+	 */
+	len = malloc_usable_size (secret);
+#else
+	len = strlen (secret);
+#endif
+
+	nm_explicit_bzero (secret, len);
+	g_free (secret);
+}
+
 /*****************************************************************************/
 
 char *
diff --git a/shared/nm-glib-aux/nm-secret-utils.h b/shared/nm-glib-aux/nm-secret-utils.h
index 1b98b7e9ef..17d5e85301 100644
--- a/shared/nm-glib-aux/nm-secret-utils.h
+++ b/shared/nm-glib-aux/nm-secret-utils.h
@@ -18,14 +18,7 @@ char *nm_secret_strchomp (char *secret);
 
 /*****************************************************************************/
 
-static inline void
-nm_free_secret (char *secret)
-{
-	if (secret) {
-		nm_explicit_bzero (secret, strlen (secret));
-		g_free (secret);
-	}
-}
+void nm_free_secret (char *secret);
 
 NM_AUTO_DEFINE_FCN0 (char *, _nm_auto_free_secret, nm_free_secret)
 /**