diff --git a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/HQuorumPeer.java b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/HQuorumPeer.java
index f0d6ba23a06..738c9c28610 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/HQuorumPeer.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/HQuorumPeer.java
@@ -18,10 +18,15 @@
  */
 package org.apache.hadoop.hbase.zookeeper;
 
-import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.classification.InterfaceAudience;
-import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.classification.InterfaceStability;
+import static org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HConstants.DEFAULT_ZK_SESSION_TIMEOUT;
+import static org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HConstants.ZK_SESSION_TIMEOUT;
+
 import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HBaseConfiguration;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HBaseInterfaceAudience;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HConstants;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.classification.InterfaceAudience;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.classification.InterfaceStability;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.util.Strings;
 import org.apache.hadoop.net.DNS;
 import org.apache.hadoop.util.StringUtils;
@@ -42,11 +47,6 @@ import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map.Entry;
 import java.util.Properties;
 
-import static org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HConstants.DEFAULT_ZK_SESSION_TIMEOUT;
-import static org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HConstants.ZK_SESSION_TIMEOUT;
-import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.classification.InterfaceAudience;
-import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.classification.InterfaceStability;
-import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HBaseInterfaceAudience;
 
 /**
  * HBase's version of ZooKeeper's QuorumPeer. When HBase is set to manage
@@ -72,8 +72,8 @@ public class HQuorumPeer {
       zkConfig.parseProperties(zkProperties);
 
       // login the zookeeper server principal (if using security)
-      ZKUtil.loginServer(conf, "hbase.zookeeper.server.keytab.file",
-        "hbase.zookeeper.server.kerberos.principal",
+      ZKUtil.loginServer(conf, HConstants.ZK_SERVER_KEYTAB_FILE,
+        HConstants.ZK_SERVER_KERBEROS_PRINCIPAL,
         zkConfig.getClientPortAddress().getHostName());
 
       runZKServer(zkConfig);
diff --git a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZKUtil.java b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZKUtil.java
index 97b86a61700..c4c98196598 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZKUtil.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZKUtil.java
@@ -1005,7 +1005,10 @@ public class ZKUtil {
           && testConfig.getAppConfigurationEntry(
             JaasConfiguration.CLIENT_KEYTAB_KERBEROS_CONFIG_NAME) == null
           && testConfig.getAppConfigurationEntry(
-              JaasConfiguration.SERVER_KEYTAB_KERBEROS_CONFIG_NAME) == null) {
+              JaasConfiguration.SERVER_KEYTAB_KERBEROS_CONFIG_NAME) == null
+          && conf.get(HConstants.ZK_CLIENT_KERBEROS_PRINCIPAL) == null
+          && conf.get(HConstants.ZK_SERVER_KERBEROS_PRINCIPAL) == null) {
+              
         return false;
       }
     } catch(Exception e) {
diff --git a/hbase-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HConstants.java b/hbase-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HConstants.java
index 64bd8c5a612..a5c1d5c693f 100644
--- a/hbase-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HConstants.java
+++ b/hbase-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HConstants.java
@@ -1231,6 +1231,16 @@ public final class HConstants {
 
   public static final String HBASE_CANARY_WRITE_TABLE_CHECK_PERIOD_KEY =
       "hbase.canary.write.table.check.period";
+  
+  /**
+   * Configuration keys for programmatic JAAS configuration for secured ZK interaction
+   */
+  public static final String ZK_CLIENT_KEYTAB_FILE = "hbase.zookeeper.client.keytab.file";
+  public static final String ZK_CLIENT_KERBEROS_PRINCIPAL =
+      "hbase.zookeeper.client.kerberos.principal";
+  public static final String ZK_SERVER_KEYTAB_FILE = "hbase.zookeeper.server.keytab.file";
+  public static final String ZK_SERVER_KERBEROS_PRINCIPAL =
+      "hbase.zookeeper.server.kerberos.principal";  
 
   private HConstants() {
     // Can't be instantiated with this ctor.
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/HMasterCommandLine.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/HMasterCommandLine.java
index d6b436c4fbf..7e9a5cdfe1e 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/HMasterCommandLine.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/HMasterCommandLine.java
@@ -198,8 +198,8 @@ public class HMasterCommandLine extends ServerCommandLine {
         }
 
         // login the zookeeper server principal (if using security)
-        ZKUtil.loginServer(conf, "hbase.zookeeper.server.keytab.file",
-          "hbase.zookeeper.server.kerberos.principal", null);
+        ZKUtil.loginServer(conf, HConstants.ZK_SERVER_KEYTAB_FILE,
+          HConstants.ZK_SERVER_KERBEROS_PRINCIPAL, null);
         int localZKClusterSessionTimeout =
           conf.getInt(HConstants.ZK_SESSION_TIMEOUT + ".localHBaseCluster", 10*1000);
         conf.setInt(HConstants.ZK_SESSION_TIMEOUT, localZKClusterSessionTimeout);
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/HRegionServer.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/HRegionServer.java
index b0eb3bc5e2c..7bd13dd3128 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/HRegionServer.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/HRegionServer.java
@@ -544,8 +544,8 @@ public class HRegionServer extends HasThread implements
     rpcRetryingCallerFactory = RpcRetryingCallerFactory.instantiate(this.conf);
 
     // login the zookeeper client principal (if using security)
-    ZKUtil.loginClient(this.conf, "hbase.zookeeper.client.keytab.file",
-      "hbase.zookeeper.client.kerberos.principal", hostName);
+    ZKUtil.loginClient(this.conf, HConstants.ZK_CLIENT_KEYTAB_FILE,
+      HConstants.ZK_CLIENT_KERBEROS_PRINCIPAL, hostName);
     // login the server principal (if using secure Hadoop)
     login(userProvider, hostName);
 
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/TestZooKeeperACL.java b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/TestZooKeeperACL.java
index 26bba1409b2..954c5d2bd6a 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/TestZooKeeperACL.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/TestZooKeeperACL.java
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ import java.io.FileWriter;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.List;
 
+import javax.security.auth.login.AppConfigurationEntry;
+
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
@@ -33,7 +35,6 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.testclassification.MediumTests;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.ZooDefs;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.data.ACL;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.data.Stat;
-
 import org.junit.AfterClass;
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.BeforeClass;
@@ -283,5 +284,40 @@ public class TestZooKeeperACL {
     assertEquals(testJaasConfig, false);
     saslConfFile.delete();
   }
+  
+  /**
+   * Check if Programmatic way of setting zookeeper security settings is valid.
+   */
+  @Test
+  public void testIsZooKeeperSecureWithProgrammaticConfig() throws Exception {
+
+    javax.security.auth.login.Configuration.setConfiguration(new DummySecurityConfiguration());
+
+    Configuration config = new Configuration(HBaseConfiguration.create());
+    boolean testJaasConfig = ZKUtil.isSecureZooKeeper(config);
+    assertEquals(testJaasConfig, false);
+
+    // Now set authentication scheme to Kerberos still it should return false
+    // because no configuration set
+    config.set("hbase.security.authentication", "kerberos");
+    testJaasConfig = ZKUtil.isSecureZooKeeper(config);
+    assertEquals(testJaasConfig, false);
+
+    // Now set programmatic options related to security
+    config.set(HConstants.ZK_CLIENT_KEYTAB_FILE, "/dummy/file");
+    config.set(HConstants.ZK_CLIENT_KERBEROS_PRINCIPAL, "dummy");
+    config.set(HConstants.ZK_SERVER_KEYTAB_FILE, "/dummy/file");
+    config.set(HConstants.ZK_SERVER_KERBEROS_PRINCIPAL, "dummy");
+    testJaasConfig = ZKUtil.isSecureZooKeeper(config);
+    assertEquals(true, testJaasConfig);
+  }
+
+  private static class DummySecurityConfiguration extends javax.security.auth.login.Configuration {
+    @Override
+    public AppConfigurationEntry[] getAppConfigurationEntry(String name) {
+      return null;
+    }
+  }
+
 }