diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 58208420b3..d900c1e686 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@
     AC_CHECK_HEADERS([sys/time.h time.h unistd.h sys/param.h])
     AC_CHECK_HEADERS([sys/ioctl.h linux/if_ether.h linux/if_packet.h linux/filter.h])
     AC_CHECK_HEADERS([linux/ethtool.h linux/sockios.h])
-    AC_CHECK_HEADERS([glob.h locale.h])
+    AC_CHECK_HEADERS([glob.h locale.h grp.h pwd.h])
     AC_CHECK_HEADERS([dirent.h fnmatch.h])
     AC_CHECK_HEADERS([sys/resource.h sys/types.h sys/un.h])
     AC_CHECK_HEADERS([sys/random.h])
diff --git a/src/suricata-common.h b/src/suricata-common.h
index 3636517250..d1937c245c 100644
--- a/src/suricata-common.h
+++ b/src/suricata-common.h
@@ -206,6 +206,14 @@
 #include <libgen.h>
 #endif
 
+#ifdef HAVE_GRP_H
+#include <grp.h>
+#endif
+
+#ifdef HAVE_PWD_H
+#include <pwd.h>
+#endif
+
 #if __CYGWIN__
 #if !defined _X86_ && !defined __x86_64
 #define _X86_
diff --git a/src/util-privs.c b/src/util-privs.c
index bed5889b9a..8c2c4ce89b 100644
--- a/src/util-privs.c
+++ b/src/util-privs.c
@@ -26,8 +26,6 @@
 
 #ifndef OS_WIN32
 
-#include <grp.h>
-#include <pwd.h>
 #include "suricata-common.h"
 #include "util-debug.h"
 #include "suricata.h"