diff --git a/aspects/src/test/java/org/springframework/security/access/intercept/aspectj/aspect/AnnotationSecurityAspectTests.java b/aspects/src/test/java/org/springframework/security/access/intercept/aspectj/aspect/AnnotationSecurityAspectTests.java
index cfe1dc12bb..62ab7c268b 100644
--- a/aspects/src/test/java/org/springframework/security/access/intercept/aspectj/aspect/AnnotationSecurityAspectTests.java
+++ b/aspects/src/test/java/org/springframework/security/access/intercept/aspectj/aspect/AnnotationSecurityAspectTests.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import org.springframework.security.access.prepost.PreAuthorize;
 import org.springframework.security.access.prepost.PreInvocationAuthorizationAdviceVoter;
 import org.springframework.security.access.prepost.PrePostAnnotationSecurityMetadataSource;
 import org.springframework.security.access.vote.AffirmativeBased;
+import org.springframework.security.access.vote.RoleVoter;
 import org.springframework.security.authentication.AuthenticationCredentialsNotFoundException;
 import org.springframework.security.authentication.AuthenticationManager;
 import org.springframework.security.authentication.TestingAuthenticationToken;
@@ -39,18 +40,23 @@ import org.springframework.security.core.context.SecurityContextHolder;
  * @since 3.0.3
  */
 public class AnnotationSecurityAspectTests {
-    private @Mock AccessDecisionManager adm;
+    private AffirmativeBased adm;
     private @Mock AuthenticationManager authman;
     private TestingAuthenticationToken anne = new TestingAuthenticationToken("anne", "", "ROLE_A");
 //    private TestingAuthenticationToken bob = new TestingAuthenticationToken("bob", "", "ROLE_B");
     private AspectJMethodSecurityInterceptor interceptor;
     private SecuredImpl secured = new SecuredImpl();
+    private SecuredImplSubclass securedSub = new SecuredImplSubclass();
     private PrePostSecured prePostSecured = new PrePostSecured();
 
     @Before
     public final void setUp() throws Exception {
         MockitoAnnotations.initMocks(this);
         interceptor = new AspectJMethodSecurityInterceptor();
+        adm = new AffirmativeBased();
+        AccessDecisionVoter[] voters = new AccessDecisionVoter[]
+                {new RoleVoter(), new PreInvocationAuthorizationAdviceVoter(new ExpressionBasedPreInvocationAdvice())};
+        adm.setDecisionVoters(Arrays.asList(voters));
         interceptor.setAccessDecisionManager(adm);
         interceptor.setAuthenticationManager(authman);
         interceptor.setSecurityMetadataSource(new SecuredAnnotationSecurityMetadataSource());
@@ -79,6 +85,31 @@ public class AnnotationSecurityAspectTests {
         secured.securedClassMethod();
     }
 
+    @Test(expected=AccessDeniedException.class)
+    public void internalPrivateCallIsIntercepted() {
+        SecurityContextHolder.getContext().setAuthentication(anne);
+
+        try {
+            secured.publicCallsPrivate();
+            fail("Expected AccessDeniedException");
+        } catch (AccessDeniedException expected) {
+        }
+        securedSub.publicCallsPrivate();
+    }
+
+    @Test(expected=AccessDeniedException.class)
+    public void protectedMethodIsIntercepted() throws Exception {
+        SecurityContextHolder.getContext().setAuthentication(anne);
+
+        secured.protectedMethod();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void overriddenProtectedMethodIsNotIntercepted() throws Exception {
+        // AspectJ doesn't inherit annotations
+        securedSub.protectedMethod();
+    }
+
     // SEC-1262
     @Test(expected=AccessDeniedException.class)
     public void denyAllPreAuthorizeDeniesAccess() throws Exception {
@@ -101,10 +132,6 @@ public class AnnotationSecurityAspectTests {
         DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandler eh = new DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandler();
         interceptor.setSecurityMetadataSource(new PrePostAnnotationSecurityMetadataSource(
                 new ExpressionBasedAnnotationAttributeFactory(eh)));
-        AffirmativeBased adm = new AffirmativeBased();
-        AccessDecisionVoter[] voters = new AccessDecisionVoter[]
-                       {new PreInvocationAuthorizationAdviceVoter(new ExpressionBasedPreInvocationAdvice())};
-        adm.setDecisionVoters(Arrays.asList(voters));
         interceptor.setAccessDecisionManager(adm);
         AfterInvocationProviderManager aim = new AfterInvocationProviderManager();
         aim.setProviders(Arrays.asList(new PostInvocationAdviceProvider(new ExpressionBasedPostInvocationAdvice(eh))));
@@ -125,6 +152,28 @@ class SecuredImpl implements SecuredInterface {
     @Secured("ROLE_A")
     public void securedClassMethod() {
     }
+
+    @Secured("ROLE_X")
+    private void privateMethod() {
+    }
+
+    @Secured("ROLE_X")
+    protected void protectedMethod() {
+    }
+
+    @Secured("ROLE_X")
+    public void publicCallsPrivate() {
+        privateMethod();
+    }
+}
+
+class SecuredImplSubclass extends SecuredImpl {
+    protected void protectedMethod() {
+    }
+
+    public void publicCallsPrivate() {
+        super.publicCallsPrivate();
+    }
 }
 
 class PrePostSecured {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/security/access/intercept/aspectj/MethodInvocationAdapter.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/security/access/intercept/aspectj/MethodInvocationAdapter.java
index a664c7c8e0..271df0a7c9 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/security/access/intercept/aspectj/MethodInvocationAdapter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/security/access/intercept/aspectj/MethodInvocationAdapter.java
@@ -32,11 +32,31 @@ public final class MethodInvocationAdapter implements MethodInvocation {
         }
         String targetMethodName = jp.getStaticPart().getSignature().getName();
         Class<?>[] types = ((CodeSignature) jp.getStaticPart().getSignature()).getParameterTypes();
-        Class<?> declaringType = ((CodeSignature) jp.getStaticPart().getSignature()).getDeclaringType();
+        Class<?> declaringType = jp.getStaticPart().getSignature().getDeclaringType();
 
-        method = ClassUtils.getMethodIfAvailable(declaringType, targetMethodName, types);
-        Assert.notNull(method, "Could not obtain target method from JoinPoint: '"+ jp + "'");
+        method = findMethod(targetMethodName, declaringType, types);
 
+        if(method == null) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Could not obtain target method from JoinPoint: '"+ jp + "'");
+        }
+    }
+
+    private Method findMethod(String name, Class<?> declaringType, Class<?>[] params) {
+        Method method = null;
+
+        try {
+            method = declaringType.getMethod(name, params);
+        } catch (NoSuchMethodException ignored) {
+        }
+
+        if (method == null) {
+            try {
+                method = declaringType.getDeclaredMethod(name, params);
+            } catch (NoSuchMethodException ignored) {
+            }
+        }
+
+        return method;
     }
 
     public Method getMethod() {