diff --git a/masakarimonitors/instancemonitor/instance.py b/masakarimonitors/instancemonitor/instance.py
index 5f74b04..5bab3e7 100644
--- a/masakarimonitors/instancemonitor/instance.py
+++ b/masakarimonitors/instancemonitor/instance.py
@@ -98,7 +98,25 @@ class InstancemonitorManager(manager.Manager):
     def _err_handler(self, ctxt, err):
         LOG.warning("Error from libvirt : %s", err[2])
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _connect_auth_cb(creds, user_data):
+        if len(creds) == 0:
+            return 0
+        raise Exception("Can not handle authentication request for %d "
+                        "credentials" % len(creds))
+
     def _virt_event(self, uri):
+        auth = [[libvirt.VIR_CRED_AUTHNAME,
+                 libvirt.VIR_CRED_ECHOPROMPT,
+                 libvirt.VIR_CRED_REALM,
+                 libvirt.VIR_CRED_PASSPHRASE,
+                 libvirt.VIR_CRED_NOECHOPROMPT,
+                 libvirt.VIR_CRED_EXTERNAL],
+                InstancemonitorManager._connect_auth_cb,
+                None]
+
+        flags = libvirt.VIR_CONNECT_RO
+
         # Run a background thread with the event loop
         self._vir_event_loop_native_start()
 
@@ -125,7 +143,7 @@ class InstancemonitorManager(manager.Manager):
         # Connect to libvirt - If be disconnected, reprocess.
         self.running = True
         while self.running:
-            vc = libvirt.openReadOnly(uri)
+            vc = libvirt.openAuth(uri, auth, flags)
 
             # Event callback settings
             callback_ids = []
diff --git a/masakarimonitors/tests/unit/instancemonitor/test_instance.py b/masakarimonitors/tests/unit/instancemonitor/test_instance.py
index 4749c40..2d28d7d 100644
--- a/masakarimonitors/tests/unit/instancemonitor/test_instance.py
+++ b/masakarimonitors/tests/unit/instancemonitor/test_instance.py
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ class TestInstancemonitorManager(testtools.TestCase):
 
     @mock.patch.object(eventfilter.EventFilter, 'vir_event_filter')
     def test_my_domain_event_disk_change_callback(
-        self, mock_vir_event_filter):
+            self, mock_vir_event_filter):
         mock_vir_event_filter.return_value = None
         mock_conn, mock_dom, mock_opaque, test_uuid = \
             self._make_callback_params()
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ class TestInstancemonitorManager(testtools.TestCase):
 
     @mock.patch.object(eventfilter.EventFilter, 'vir_event_filter')
     def test_my_domain_event_io_error_reason_callback(
-        self, mock_vir_event_filter):
+            self, mock_vir_event_filter):
         mock_vir_event_filter.return_value = None
         mock_conn, mock_dom, mock_opaque, test_uuid = \
             self._make_callback_params()
@@ -204,13 +204,13 @@ class TestInstancemonitorManager(testtools.TestCase):
 
     @mock.patch.object(time, 'sleep')
     @mock.patch.object(eventlet.greenthread, 'sleep')
-    @mock.patch.object(libvirt, 'openReadOnly')
+    @mock.patch.object(libvirt, 'openAuth')
     @mock.patch.object(threading, 'Thread')
     @mock.patch.object(libvirt, 'virEventRegisterDefaultImpl')
     def test_main(self,
                   mock_virEventRegisterDefaultImpl,
                   mock_Thread,
-                  mock_openReadOnly,
+                  mock_openAuth,
                   mock_greenthread_sleep,
                   mock_time_sleep):
 
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ class TestInstancemonitorManager(testtools.TestCase):
         mock_event_loop_thread = mock.Mock(return_value=None)
         mock_Thread.return_value = mock_event_loop_thread
         mock_vc = mock.Mock()
-        mock_openReadOnly.return_value = mock_vc
+        mock_openAuth.return_value = mock_vc
         mock_vc.domainEventRegisterAny.side_effect = \
             [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
         mock_vc.setKeepAlive.return_value = None
@@ -242,7 +242,11 @@ class TestInstancemonitorManager(testtools.TestCase):
         mock_virEventRegisterDefaultImpl.assert_called_once()
         mock_event_loop_thread.setDaemon.assert_called_once_with(True)
         mock_event_loop_thread.start.assert_called_once()
-        mock_openReadOnly.assert_called_once_with("qemu:///system")
+        mock_openAuth.assert_called_once_with(
+            "qemu:///system",
+            [[2, 6, 8, 5, 7, 9],
+             instance.InstancemonitorManager._connect_auth_cb,
+             None], 1)
         self.assertEqual(
             handlers_count, mock_vc.domainEventRegisterAny.call_count)
         mock_vc.setKeepAlive.assert_called_once_with(5, 3)
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/libvirt-sasl-support-edf1388c556a594b.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/libvirt-sasl-support-edf1388c556a594b.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a582d2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/libvirt-sasl-support-edf1388c556a594b.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+---
+features:
+  - |
+    Add support for libvirt auth in instancemonitor. Use the standard
+    methods to provide the actual authentication credentials. The SASL
+    library and pluggable authentication modules should be installed on the
+    instancemonitor host, use the packages provided in the distro alongside
+    libvirt-python.