diff --git a/channels/chan_iax2.c b/channels/chan_iax2.c
index 2ff97ca2b3ed0b71b4bae2450970c2e1d7d7145a..e4695d82ae7c9429fa035fa87b2a6d72d47b7bf2 100755
--- a/channels/chan_iax2.c
+++ b/channels/chan_iax2.c
@@ -8640,6 +8640,7 @@ static int set_config(char *config_file, int reload)
 					}
 					if (defaultsockfd < 0) 
 						defaultsockfd = ast_netsock_sockfd(ns);
+					ast_netsock_unref(ns);
 				}
 			}
 		} else if (!strcasecmp(v->name, "authdebug"))
@@ -9568,6 +9569,7 @@ int load_module(void)
 			if (option_verbose > 1)
 				ast_verbose(VERBOSE_PREFIX_2 "Binding IAX2 to default address 0.0.0.0:%d\n", IAX_DEFAULT_PORTNO);
 			defaultsockfd = ast_netsock_sockfd(ns);
+			ast_netsock_unref(ns);
 		}
 	}
 	
diff --git a/include/asterisk/netsock.h b/include/asterisk/netsock.h
index dd1c3a8f6168d21d3edbfdd49ac584fdcc763426..73a2dd224d7b4bfdee98cebd0f3fbdd3e06e2aca 100755
--- a/include/asterisk/netsock.h
+++ b/include/asterisk/netsock.h
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ const struct sockaddr_in *ast_netsock_boundaddr(const struct ast_netsock *ns);
 
 void *ast_netsock_data(const struct ast_netsock *ns);
 
+void ast_netsock_unref(struct ast_netsock *ns);
+
 #if defined(__cplusplus) || defined(c_plusplus)
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/netsock.c b/netsock.c
index da22c549cc4800822b30c567d4284b642f688cbc..386f15660c60e91d527faf1e0b2e306279539f52 100755
--- a/netsock.c
+++ b/netsock.c
@@ -214,3 +214,8 @@ void *ast_netsock_data(const struct ast_netsock *ns)
 {
 	return ns->data;
 }
+
+void ast_netsock_unref(struct ast_netsock *ns)
+{
+	ASTOBJ_UNREF(ns, ast_netsock_destroy);
+}