diff --git a/lib/gshadow.c b/lib/gshadow.c
index d1ca70706..97eae6250 100644
--- a/lib/gshadow.c
+++ b/lib/gshadow.c
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
 #include "alloc/malloc.h"
@@ -68,34 +69,27 @@ void endsgent (void)
 }
 
 /*@observer@*//*@null@*/struct sgrp *
-sgetsgent(const char *string)
+sgetsgent(const char *s)
 {
-	static char *sgrbuf = NULL;
-	static size_t sgrbuflen = 0;
+	static char  *dup = NULL;
 
 	char *fields[FIELDS];
 	char *cp;
 	int i;
-	size_t len = strlen (string) + 1;
 
-	if (len > sgrbuflen) {
-		char *buf = REALLOC(sgrbuf, len, char);
-		if (NULL == buf)
-			return NULL;
-
-		sgrbuf = buf;
-		sgrbuflen = len;
-	}
+	free(dup);
+	dup = strdup(s);
+	if (dup == NULL)
+		return NULL;
 
-	strcpy (sgrbuf, string);
-	stpsep(sgrbuf, "\n");
+	stpsep(dup, "\n");
 
 	/*
 	 * There should be exactly 4 colon separated fields.  Find
 	 * all 4 of them and save the starting addresses in fields[].
 	 */
 
-	for (cp = sgrbuf, i = 0; (i < FIELDS) && (NULL != cp); i++)
+	for (cp = dup, i = 0; (i < FIELDS) && (NULL != cp); i++)
 		fields[i] = strsep(&cp, ":");
 
 	/*
diff --git a/lib/sgetgrent.c b/lib/sgetgrent.c
index eeeed4b6f..da5601ffc 100644
--- a/lib/sgetgrent.c
+++ b/lib/sgetgrent.c
@@ -11,10 +11,11 @@
 
 #ident "$Id$"
 
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <sys/types.h>
 #include <grp.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
 
 #include "alloc/malloc.h"
 #include "alloc/reallocf.h"
@@ -64,30 +65,23 @@ list(char *s)
 }
 
 
-struct group *sgetgrent (const char *buf)
+struct group *
+sgetgrent(const char *s)
 {
-	static char *grpbuf = NULL;
-	static size_t size = 0;
+	static char         *dup = NULL;
 	static char *grpfields[NFIELDS];
 	static struct group grent;
 	int i;
 	char *cp;
 
-	if (strlen (buf) + 1 > size) {
-		/* no need to use realloc() here - just free it and
-		   allocate a larger block */
-		free (grpbuf);
-		size = strlen (buf) + 1000;	/* at least: strlen(buf) + 1 */
-		grpbuf = MALLOC(size, char);
-		if (grpbuf == NULL) {
-			size = 0;
-			return NULL;
-		}
-	}
-	strcpy (grpbuf, buf);
-	stpsep(grpbuf, "\n");
+	free(dup);
+	dup = strdup(s);
+	if (dup == NULL)
+		return NULL;
+
+	stpsep(dup, "\n");
 
-	for (cp = grpbuf, i = 0; (i < NFIELDS) && (NULL != cp); i++)
+	for (cp = dup, i = 0; (i < NFIELDS) && (NULL != cp); i++)
 		grpfields[i] = strsep(&cp, ":");
 
 	if (i < NFIELDS || streq(grpfields[2], "") || cp != NULL) {
diff --git a/lib/sgetpwent.c b/lib/sgetpwent.c
index b13d5bc54..691979a19 100644
--- a/lib/sgetpwent.c
+++ b/lib/sgetpwent.c
@@ -11,16 +11,18 @@
 
 #ident "$Id$"
 
-#include <sys/types.h>
-#include <stdio.h>
 #include <pwd.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
 
 #include "atoi/getnum.h"
 #include "defines.h"
 #include "prototypes.h"
 #include "shadowlog_internal.h"
 #include "string/strcmp/streq.h"
+#include "string/strtok/stpsep.h"
 
 
 #define	NFIELDS	7
@@ -38,33 +40,27 @@
  *	compilation glarp to improve on this in the future.
  */
 struct passwd *
-sgetpwent(const char *buf)
+sgetpwent(const char *s)
 {
+	static char          *dup = NULL;
 	static struct passwd pwent;
-	static char pwdbuf[PASSWD_ENTRY_MAX_LENGTH];
 	int i;
 	char *cp;
 	char *fields[NFIELDS];
 
-	/*
-	 * Copy the string to a static buffer so the pointers into
-	 * the password structure remain valid.
-	 */
+	free(dup);
+	dup = strdup(s);
+	if (dup == NULL)
+		return NULL;
 
-	if (strlen (buf) >= sizeof pwdbuf) {
-		fprintf (shadow_logfd,
-		         "%s: Too long passwd entry encountered, file corruption?\n",
-		         shadow_progname);
-		return NULL;	/* fail if too long */
-	}
-	strcpy (pwdbuf, buf);
+	stpsep(dup, "\n");
 
 	/*
 	 * Save a pointer to the start of each colon separated
 	 * field.  The fields are converted into NUL terminated strings.
 	 */
 
-	for (cp = pwdbuf, i = 0; (i < NFIELDS) && (NULL != cp); i++)
+	for (cp = dup, i = 0; (i < NFIELDS) && (NULL != cp); i++)
 		fields[i] = strsep(&cp, ":");
 
 	/* something at the end, columns over shot */
diff --git a/lib/sgetspent.c b/lib/sgetspent.c
index f34853ec6..c4f742e0a 100644
--- a/lib/sgetspent.c
+++ b/lib/sgetspent.c
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
@@ -36,34 +37,27 @@
  * sgetspent - convert string in shadow file format to (struct spwd *)
  */
 struct spwd *
-sgetspent(const char *string)
+sgetspent(const char *s)
 {
-	static char spwbuf[PASSWD_ENTRY_MAX_LENGTH];
+	static char        *dup = NULL;
 	static struct spwd spwd;
 	char *fields[FIELDS];
 	char *cp;
 	int i;
 
-	/*
-	 * Copy string to local buffer.  It has to be tokenized and we
-	 * have to do that to our private copy.
-	 */
+	free(dup);
+	dup = strdup(s);
+	if (dup == NULL)
+		return NULL;
 
-	if (strlen (string) >= sizeof spwbuf) {
-		fprintf (shadow_logfd,
-		         "%s: Too long passwd entry encountered, file corruption?\n",
-		         shadow_progname);
-		return NULL;	/* fail if too long */
-	}
-	strcpy (spwbuf, string);
-	stpsep(spwbuf, "\n");
+	stpsep(dup, "\n");
 
 	/*
 	 * Tokenize the string into colon separated fields.  Allow up to
 	 * FIELDS different fields.
 	 */
 
-	for (cp = spwbuf, i = 0; cp != NULL && i < FIELDS; i++)
+	for (cp = dup, i = 0; cp != NULL && i < FIELDS; i++)
 		fields[i] = strsep(&cp, ":");
 
 	if (i == (FIELDS - 1))