diff --git a/common-kex.c b/common-kex.c
index c823f19..4de4b52 100644
--- a/common-kex.c
+++ b/common-kex.c
@@ -511,7 +511,7 @@ void recv_msg_kexinit() {
 
 	/* start the kex hash */
 	local_ident_len = strlen(LOCAL_IDENT);
-	remote_ident_len = strlen((char*)ses.remoteident);
+	remote_ident_len = strlen(ses.remoteident);
 
 	kexhashbuf_len = local_ident_len + remote_ident_len
 		+ ses.transkexinit->len + ses.payload->len
@@ -528,7 +528,7 @@ void recv_msg_kexinit() {
 	    buf_putstring(ses.kexhashbuf,
 			(unsigned char*)LOCAL_IDENT, local_ident_len);
 		/* V_S, the server's version string (CR and NL excluded) */
-	    buf_putstring(ses.kexhashbuf, ses.remoteident, remote_ident_len);
+	    buf_putstring(ses.kexhashbuf, (unsigned char*)ses.remoteident, remote_ident_len);
 
 		/* I_C, the payload of the client's SSH_MSG_KEXINIT */
 	    buf_putstring(ses.kexhashbuf,
@@ -545,7 +545,7 @@ void recv_msg_kexinit() {
 		/* read the peer's choice of algos */
 		read_kex_algos();
 		/* V_C, the client's version string (CR and NL excluded) */
-	    buf_putstring(ses.kexhashbuf, ses.remoteident, remote_ident_len);
+	    buf_putstring(ses.kexhashbuf, (unsigned char*)ses.remoteident, remote_ident_len);
 		/* V_S, the server's version string (CR and NL excluded) */
 	    buf_putstring(ses.kexhashbuf, 
 				(unsigned char*)LOCAL_IDENT, local_ident_len);
diff --git a/session.h b/session.h
index 0c96075..99c96cb 100644
--- a/session.h
+++ b/session.h
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ struct sshsession {
 	/* remotehost will be initially NULL as we delay
 	 * reading the remote version string. it will be set
 	 * by the time any recv_() packet methods are called */
-	unsigned char *remoteident; 
+	char *remoteident;
 
 	int maxfd; /* the maximum file descriptor to check with select() */