diff --git a/lib/com_err/com_right.h b/lib/com_err/com_right.h
index 46aec001a..e13855aba 100644
--- a/lib/com_err/com_right.h
+++ b/lib/com_err/com_right.h
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ struct et_list {
 extern struct et_list *_et_list;
 
 const char *com_right (struct et_list *list, long code);
+const char *com_right_r (struct et_list *list, long code, char *, size_t);
 void initialize_error_table_r (struct et_list **, const char **, int, long);
 void free_error_table (struct et_list *);
 
diff --git a/lib/com_err/error.c b/lib/com_err/error.c
index 6b12c00c7..d4a42ac5d 100644
--- a/lib/com_err/error.c
+++ b/lib/com_err/error.c
@@ -47,18 +47,28 @@
 
 const char *
 com_right(struct et_list *list, long code)
+{
+    struct et_list *p;
+    for (p = list; p; p = p->next)
+	if (code >= p->table->base && code < p->table->base + p->table->n_msgs)
+	    return p->table->msgs[code - p->table->base];
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+const char *
+com_right_r(struct et_list *list, long code, char *str, size_t len)
 {
     struct et_list *p;
     for (p = list; p; p = p->next) {
 	if (code >= p->table->base && code < p->table->base + p->table->n_msgs) {
-	    const char *str = p->table->msgs[code - p->table->base];
+	    const char *msg = p->table->msgs[code - p->table->base];
 #ifdef LIBINTL
 	    char domain[12 + 20];
 	    snprintf(domain, sizeof(domain), "heim_com_err%d", p->table->base);
 #endif
-	    return dgettext(domain, str);
+	    strlcpy(str, dgettext(domain, msg), len);
+	    return str;
 	}
-
     }
     return NULL;
 }
diff --git a/lib/com_err/version-script.map b/lib/com_err/version-script.map
index dd9a2adba..8da2fef6d 100644
--- a/lib/com_err/version-script.map
+++ b/lib/com_err/version-script.map
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 HEIMDAL_COM_ERR_1.0 {
 	global:
 		com_right;
+		com_right_r;
 		free_error_table;
 		initialize_error_table_r;
 		add_to_error_table;