diff --git a/hawk/app/controllers/application_controller.rb b/hawk/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
index b4bce8fb4..e6bcf2d4a 100644
--- a/hawk/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
+++ b/hawk/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
   layout :detect_current_layout
 
   around_action :inject_current_user
+  around_action :inject_current_pass
   around_action :inject_current_cib
   before_action :set_users_locale
   before_action :set_current_home
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
   helper_method :production_cib
   helper_method :current_cib
   helper_method :current_user
+  helper_method :current_pass
 
   rescue_from Cib::CibError do |e|
     respond_to do |format|
@@ -59,7 +61,7 @@ def production_cib
   def current_cib
     if current_user
       @current_cib ||= begin
-        Cib.new(params[:cib_id] || production_cib, current_user, params[:debug] == "file", cookies[:stonithwarning].nil? || cookies[:stonithwarning] == true)
+        Cib.new(params[:cib_id] || production_cib, current_user, current_pass, params[:debug] == "file", cookies[:stonithwarning].nil? || cookies[:stonithwarning] == true)
       end
     end
   end
@@ -96,6 +98,12 @@ def inject_current_user
     yield
   end
 
+  def inject_current_pass
+    current_controller = self
+    Thread.current[:current_pass] = proc { current_controller.send(:current_pass) }
+    yield
+  end
+
   def set_users_locale
     available = [params[:locale], cookies[:locale], default_locale].compact.first
     I18n.locale = FastGettext.set_locale(available)
@@ -173,6 +181,10 @@ def current_user
     @current_user ||= session[:username] || login_from_cookie
   end
 
+  def current_pass
+    @current_pass ||= session[:password]
+  end
+
   def is_god?
     current_user == "hacluster" || current_user == "root"
   end
diff --git a/hawk/app/controllers/sessions_controller.rb b/hawk/app/controllers/sessions_controller.rb
index ea536acd5..5fda1795d 100644
--- a/hawk/app/controllers/sessions_controller.rb
+++ b/hawk/app/controllers/sessions_controller.rb
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ def create
       if @session.valid?
         reset_session
         session[:username] = @session.username
+        session[:password] = @session.password
 
         # generate random value, store in attrd_updater (1024 Bits)
         value = SecureRandom.hex(128)
@@ -66,6 +67,7 @@ def destroy
     cookies.delete :hawk_remember_me_id
     cookies.delete :hawk_remember_me_key
     session[:username] = nil
+    session[:password] = nil
     reset_session
 
     respond_to do |format|
diff --git a/hawk/app/lib/invoker.rb b/hawk/app/lib/invoker.rb
index 86e71b3d5..2f6f914b7 100644
--- a/hawk/app/lib/invoker.rb
+++ b/hawk/app/lib/invoker.rb
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ def initialize
   # cleaned up further)
   # Returns [out, err, exitstatus]
   def run(*cmd)
-    out, err, status = Util.capture3(*cmd)
+    out, err, status = Util.run_as(current_user, current_pass, *cmd)
     [out, fudge_error(status.exitstatus, err), status.exitstatus]
   end
 
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ def crm_configure_load_update(cmd)
   # Invoke cibadmin with command line arguments.  Returns stdout as string,
   # Raises NotFoundError, SecurityError or RuntimeError on failure.
   def cibadmin(*cmd)
-    out, err, status = Util.capture3('cibadmin', *cmd)
+    out, err, status = Util.run_as(current_user, current_pass, 'cibadmin', *cmd)
     case status.exitstatus
     when 0
       return out
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ def cibadmin_modify(xml)
 
   # Used by the simulator
   def crm_simulate(*cmd)
-    Util.capture3('crm_simulate', *cmd)
+    Util.run_as(current_user, current_pass, 'crm_simulate', *cmd)
   end
 
   private
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ def invoke_crm(input, *cmd)
     end
     cmd << { stdin_data: input }
 
-    out, err, status = Util.capture3('crm', *cmd)
+    out, err, status = Util.run_as(current_user, current_pass, 'crm', *cmd)
     [out, fudge_error(status.exitstatus, err), status.exitstatus]
   end
 
@@ -153,4 +153,8 @@ def fudge_error(exitstatus, stderr)
   def current_user
     Thread.current[:current_user].call
   end
+
+  def current_pass
+    Thread.current[:current_pass].call
+  end
 end
diff --git a/hawk/app/lib/util.rb b/hawk/app/lib/util.rb
index 82fdacf60..5d5903ae9 100644
--- a/hawk/app/lib/util.rb
+++ b/hawk/app/lib/util.rb
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ def numeric?(n)
   # DON'T USE THIS FUNCTION DIRECTLY - it's subject to deadlocks e.g.:
   # http://coldattic.info/shvedsky/pro/blogs/a-foo-walks-into-a-bar/posts/63
   # Rather you should prefer capture3.
-  def popen3(*cmd)
+  def popen3(user, *cmd)
     raise SecurityError, "Util::popen3 called with < 2 args" if cmd.length < 2
     pw = IO::pipe   # pipe[0] for read, pipe[1] for write
     pr = IO::pipe
@@ -39,8 +39,13 @@ def popen3(*cmd)
       STDERR.reopen(pe[1])
       pe[1].close
 
-      # RORSCAN_INL: cmd always has > 1 elem, so safe from shell injection
-      exec(*cmd)
+      if user.to_s.strip.empty? or user == "hacluster" or user == "root"
+        # RORSCAN_INL: cmd always has > 1 elem, so safe from shell injection
+        exec(*cmd)
+      else
+        command = ['su', '-', user, 'sh', '-c', "#{cmd.join(" ")}"]
+        exec(*command)
+      end
     }
     wait_thr = Process.detach(pid)
 
@@ -73,7 +78,7 @@ def capture3(*cmd)
     end
     Rails.logger.debug "Executing `#{cmd.join(' ').inspect}` through `capture3`"
     stdin_data = opts.delete(:stdin_data) || ''
-    Util.popen3(*cmd) {|i, o, e, t|
+    Util.popen3(nil, *cmd) {|i, o, e, t|
       out_reader = Thread.new { o.read }
       err_reader = Thread.new { e.read }
       i.write stdin_data
@@ -83,6 +88,28 @@ def capture3(*cmd)
   end
   module_function :capture3
 
+  def run_as(user, pass, *cmd)
+    if Hash === cmd.last
+      opts = cmd.pop.dup
+    else
+      opts = {}
+    end
+    Rails.logger.debug "Executing `#{cmd.join(' ').inspect}` as `#{user}` through `run_as`"
+    stdin_data = opts.delete(:stdin_data) || ''
+    Util.popen3(user, *cmd) {|i, o, e, t|
+      out_reader = Thread.new { o.read }
+      err_reader = Thread.new { e.read }
+      if not user.to_s.strip.empty? and user != "hacluster" and user != "root"
+        i.write pass
+        i.write "\n"
+      end
+      i.write stdin_data
+      i.close
+      [out_reader.value, err_reader.value, t.value]
+    }
+  end
+  module_function :run_as
+
   def ensure_home_for(user)
     old_home = ENV['HOME']
     ENV['HOME'] = begin
diff --git a/hawk/app/models/cib.rb b/hawk/app/models/cib.rb
index be0f680c9..b0be4902e 100644
--- a/hawk/app/models/cib.rb
+++ b/hawk/app/models/cib.rb
@@ -483,7 +483,7 @@ def warning(msg, additions = {})
     error(msg, :warning, additions)
   end
 
-  def initialize(id, user, use_file = false, stonithwarning = false)
+  def initialize(id, user, pass, use_file = false, stonithwarning = false)
     Rails.logger.debug "Cib.initialize #{id}, #{user}, #{use_file}"
 
     if use_file
@@ -511,7 +511,7 @@ def initialize(id, user, use_file = false, stonithwarning = false)
         init_offline_cluster id, user, use_file
         return
       end
-      out, err, status = Util.capture3('cibadmin', '-Ql')
+      out, err, status = Util.run_as(user, pass, 'cibadmin', '-Ql')
       case status.exitstatus
       when 0
         @xml = REXML::Document.new(out)