diff --git a/src/libraries/System.DirectoryServices.Protocols/src/System/DirectoryServices/Protocols/Interop/LdapPal.Linux.cs b/src/libraries/System.DirectoryServices.Protocols/src/System/DirectoryServices/Protocols/Interop/LdapPal.Linux.cs
index 4197abb9c1fd07..329237f10b3065 100644
--- a/src/libraries/System.DirectoryServices.Protocols/src/System/DirectoryServices/Protocols/Interop/LdapPal.Linux.cs
+++ b/src/libraries/System.DirectoryServices.Protocols/src/System/DirectoryServices/Protocols/Interop/LdapPal.Linux.cs
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ internal static int BindToDirectory(ConnectionHandle ld, string who, string pass
                 passwordPtr = LdapPal.StringToPtr(passwd);
                 BerVal passwordBerval = new BerVal
                 {
-                    bv_len = passwd.Length,
+                    bv_len = passwd?.Length ?? 0,
                     bv_val = passwordPtr,
                 };
 
diff --git a/src/libraries/System.DirectoryServices.Protocols/tests/LdapConnectionTests.cs b/src/libraries/System.DirectoryServices.Protocols/tests/LdapConnectionTests.cs
index 9a8074bf5222ad..a0522a61abc182 100644
--- a/src/libraries/System.DirectoryServices.Protocols/tests/LdapConnectionTests.cs
+++ b/src/libraries/System.DirectoryServices.Protocols/tests/LdapConnectionTests.cs
@@ -112,6 +112,16 @@ public void AuthType_SetValid_GetReturnsExpected()
             Assert.Equal(AuthType.Basic, connection.AuthType);
         }
 
+        [Fact]
+        public void AuthType_Anonymous_DoesNotThrowNull()
+        {
+            var connection = new LdapConnection("server");
+            connection.AuthType = AuthType.Anonymous;
+            // When calling Bind we make sure that the exception thrown is not that there was a NullReferenceException
+            // trying to retrive a null password's lenght, but instead an LdapException given the server cannot be reached.
+            Assert.Throws<LdapException>(() => connection.Bind());
+        }
+
         [Theory]
         [InlineData(AuthType.Anonymous - 1)]
         [InlineData(AuthType.Kerberos + 1)]