diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/play_context.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/play_context.py
index b038862b202..46ba98d98bd 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/play_context.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/play_context.py
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import string
 from ansible.compat.six import iteritems, string_types
 from ansible import constants as C
 from ansible.errors import AnsibleError
+from ansible.module_utils._text import to_bytes
 from ansible.playbook.attribute import FieldAttribute
 from ansible.playbook.base import Base
 from ansible.utils.boolean import boolean
@@ -84,38 +85,38 @@ MAGIC_VARIABLE_MAPPING = dict(
    module_compression = ('ansible_module_compression',),
 )
 
-SU_PROMPT_LOCALIZATIONS = [
-    'Password',
-    '암호',
-    'パスワード',
-    'Adgangskode',
-    'Contraseña',
-    'Contrasenya',
-    'Hasło',
-    'Heslo',
-    'Jelszó',
-    'Lösenord',
-    'Mật khẩu',
-    'Mot de passe',
-    'Parola',
-    'Parool',
-    'Pasahitza',
-    'Passord',
-    'Passwort',
-    'Salasana',
-    'Sandi',
-    'Senha',
-    'Wachtwoord',
-    'ססמה',
-    'Лозинка',
-    'Парола',
-    'Пароль',
-    'गुप्तशब्द',
-    'शब्दकूट',
-    'సంకేతపదము',
-    'හස්පදය',
-    '密码',
-    '密碼',
+b_SU_PROMPT_LOCALIZATIONS = [
+    to_bytes('Password'),
+    to_bytes('암호'),
+    to_bytes('パスワード'),
+    to_bytes('Adgangskode'),
+    to_bytes('Contraseña'),
+    to_bytes('Contrasenya'),
+    to_bytes('Hasło'),
+    to_bytes('Heslo'),
+    to_bytes('Jelszó'),
+    to_bytes('Lösenord'),
+    to_bytes('Mật khẩu'),
+    to_bytes('Mot de passe'),
+    to_bytes('Parola'),
+    to_bytes('Parool'),
+    to_bytes('Pasahitza'),
+    to_bytes('Passord'),
+    to_bytes('Passwort'),
+    to_bytes('Salasana'),
+    to_bytes('Sandi'),
+    to_bytes('Senha'),
+    to_bytes('Wachtwoord'),
+    to_bytes('ססמה'),
+    to_bytes('Лозинка'),
+    to_bytes('Парола'),
+    to_bytes('Пароль'),
+    to_bytes('गुप्तशब्द'),
+    to_bytes('शब्दकूट'),
+    to_bytes('సంకేతపదము'),
+    to_bytes('හස්පදය'),
+    to_bytes('密码'),
+    to_bytes('密碼'),
 ]
 
 TASK_ATTRIBUTE_OVERRIDES = (
@@ -515,9 +516,9 @@ class PlayContext(Base):
             elif self.become_method == 'su':
 
                 # passing code ref to examine prompt as simple string comparisson isn't good enough with su
-                def detect_su_prompt(data):
-                    SU_PROMPT_LOCALIZATIONS_RE = re.compile("|".join(['(\w+\'s )?' + x + ' ?: ?' for x in SU_PROMPT_LOCALIZATIONS]), flags=re.IGNORECASE)
-                    return bool(SU_PROMPT_LOCALIZATIONS_RE.match(data))
+                def detect_su_prompt(b_data):
+                    b_SU_PROMPT_LOCALIZATIONS_RE = re.compile(b"|".join([b'(\w+\'s )?' + x + b' ?: ?' for x in b_SU_PROMPT_LOCALIZATIONS]), flags=re.IGNORECASE)
+                    return bool(b_SU_PROMPT_LOCALIZATIONS_RE.match(b_data))
                 prompt = detect_su_prompt
 
                 becomecmd = '%s %s %s -c %s' % (exe, flags, self.become_user, pipes.quote(command))
@@ -528,8 +529,8 @@ class PlayContext(Base):
                 becomecmd = '%s -b %s -u %s %s' % (exe, flags, self.become_user, success_cmd)
 
             elif self.become_method == 'ksu':
-                def detect_ksu_prompt(data):
-                    return re.match("Kerberos password for .*@.*:", data)
+                def detect_ksu_prompt(b_data):
+                    return re.match(b"Kerberos password for .*@.*:", b_data)
 
                 prompt = detect_ksu_prompt
                 becomecmd = '%s %s %s -e %s' % (exe, self.become_user, flags, command)
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/local.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/local.py
index 537e804689f..da25f1e2306 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/local.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/local.py
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ class Connection(ConnectionBase):
         if self._play_context.prompt and sudoable:
             fcntl.fcntl(p.stdout, fcntl.F_SETFL, fcntl.fcntl(p.stdout, fcntl.F_GETFL) | os.O_NONBLOCK)
             fcntl.fcntl(p.stderr, fcntl.F_SETFL, fcntl.fcntl(p.stderr, fcntl.F_GETFL) | os.O_NONBLOCK)
-            become_output = ''
+            become_output = b''
             while not self.check_become_success(become_output) and not self.check_password_prompt(become_output):
 
                 rfd, wfd, efd = select.select([p.stdout, p.stderr], [], [p.stdout, p.stderr], self._play_context.timeout)
@@ -100,10 +100,10 @@ class Connection(ConnectionBase):
                     chunk = p.stderr.read()
                 else:
                     stdout, stderr = p.communicate()
-                    raise AnsibleError('timeout waiting for privilege escalation password prompt:\n' + become_output)
+                    raise AnsibleError('timeout waiting for privilege escalation password prompt:\n' + to_native(become_output))
                 if not chunk:
                     stdout, stderr = p.communicate()
-                    raise AnsibleError('privilege output closed while waiting for password prompt:\n' + become_output)
+                    raise AnsibleError('privilege output closed while waiting for password prompt:\n' + to_native(become_output))
                 become_output += chunk
             if not self.check_become_success(become_output):
                 p.stdin.write(to_bytes(self._play_context.become_pass, errors='surrogate_or_strict') + b'\n')
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/paramiko_ssh.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/paramiko_ssh.py
index 4fdf0fe4bd0..5e98665ef75 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/paramiko_ssh.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/paramiko_ssh.py
@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@ class Connection(ConnectionBase):
 
                 if passprompt:
                     if self._play_context.become and self._play_context.become_pass:
-                        chan.sendall(self._play_context.become_pass + '\n')
+                        chan.sendall(to_bytes(self._play_context.become_pass) + b'\n')
                     else:
                         raise AnsibleError("A password is reqired but none was supplied")
                 else: