diff --git a/paramiko/hostkeys.py b/paramiko/hostkeys.py
index f967a3d..c34b173 100644
--- a/paramiko/hostkeys.py
+++ b/paramiko/hostkeys.py
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import UserDict
 from paramiko.common import *
 from paramiko.dsskey import DSSKey
 from paramiko.rsakey import RSAKey
-from paramiko.util import get_logger
+from paramiko.util import get_logger, constant_time_bytes_eq
 
 
 class InvalidHostKey(Exception):
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ class HostKeys (UserDict.DictMixin):
         entries = []
         for e in self._entries:
             for h in e.hostnames:
-                if (h.startswith('|1|') and (self.hash_host(hostname, h) == h)) or (h == hostname):
+                if h.startswith('|1|') and constant_time_bytes_eq(self.hash_host(hostname, h), h) or h == hostname:
                     entries.append(e)
         if len(entries) == 0:
             return None
diff --git a/paramiko/packet.py b/paramiko/packet.py
index 3f85d66..dce4383 100644
--- a/paramiko/packet.py
+++ b/paramiko/packet.py
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@ class Packetizer (object):
             mac = post_packet[:self.__mac_size_in]
             mac_payload = struct.pack('>II', self.__sequence_number_in, packet_size) + packet
             my_mac = compute_hmac(self.__mac_key_in, mac_payload, self.__mac_engine_in)[:self.__mac_size_in]
-            if my_mac != mac:
+            if not util.constant_time_bytes_eq(my_mac, mac):
                 raise SSHException('Mismatched MAC')
         padding = ord(packet[0])
         payload = packet[1:packet_size - padding]
diff --git a/paramiko/util.py b/paramiko/util.py
index 85ee6b0..9db512d 100644
--- a/paramiko/util.py
+++ b/paramiko/util.py
@@ -309,3 +309,12 @@ class Counter (object):
     def new(cls, nbits, initial_value=1L, overflow=0L):
         return cls(nbits, initial_value=initial_value, overflow=overflow)
     new = classmethod(new)
+
+
+def constant_time_bytes_eq(a, b):
+    if len(a) != len(b):
+        return False
+    res = 0
+    for i in xrange(len(a)):
+        res |= ord(a[i]) ^ ord(b[i])
+    return res == 0