diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index d9d4acf160..d113989a5c 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -362,6 +362,7 @@ endif()
 option(CURL_USE_PKGCONFIG "Enable pkg-config to detect dependencies" ${_curl_use_pkgconfig_default})
 
 # Initialize variables collecting dependency libs, paths, pkg-config names.
+set(CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS "")
 set(CURL_LIBS "")
 set(CURL_LIBDIRS "")
 set(LIBCURL_PC_REQUIRES_PRIVATE "")
@@ -544,9 +545,9 @@ endif()
 
 # If we are on Haiku, make sure that the network library is brought in.
 if(CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "Haiku")
-  list(APPEND CURL_LIBS "network")
+  list(APPEND CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS "network")
 elseif(AMIGA)
-  list(APPEND CURL_LIBS "net" "m" "atomic")
+  list(APPEND CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS "net" "m" "atomic")
   list(APPEND CMAKE_REQUIRED_LIBRARIES "net" "m" "atomic")
 endif()
 
@@ -591,7 +592,7 @@ if(ENABLE_THREADED_RESOLVER)
     find_package(Threads REQUIRED)
     set(USE_THREADS_POSIX ${CMAKE_USE_PTHREADS_INIT})
     set(HAVE_PTHREAD_H ${CMAKE_USE_PTHREADS_INIT})
-    list(APPEND CURL_LIBS ${CMAKE_THREAD_LIBS_INIT})
+    list(APPEND CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS ${CMAKE_THREAD_LIBS_INIT})
   endif()
 endif()
 
@@ -614,7 +615,7 @@ elseif(DOS)
   if(WATT_ROOT)
     set(USE_WATT32 ON)
     # FIXME upstream: must specify the full path to avoid CMake converting "watt" to "watt.lib"
-    list(APPEND CURL_LIBS "${WATT_ROOT}/lib/libwatt.a")
+    list(APPEND CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS "${WATT_ROOT}/lib/libwatt.a")
     include_directories(SYSTEM "${WATT_ROOT}/inc")
     list(APPEND CMAKE_REQUIRED_INCLUDES "${WATT_ROOT}/inc")
   else()
@@ -634,7 +635,7 @@ elseif(AMIGA)
 elseif(NOT APPLE)
   check_library_exists("socket" "connect" "" HAVE_LIBSOCKET)
   if(HAVE_LIBSOCKET)
-    set(CURL_LIBS "socket" ${CURL_LIBS})
+    set(CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS "socket" ${CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS})
   endif()
 endif()
 
@@ -1944,9 +1945,9 @@ include(CMake/OtherTests.cmake)
 set_property(DIRECTORY APPEND PROPERTY COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "HAVE_CONFIG_H")
 
 if(WIN32)
-  list(APPEND CURL_LIBS "${_win32_winsock}")
+  list(APPEND CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS "${_win32_winsock}")
   if(NOT WINCE AND NOT WINDOWS_STORE)
-    list(APPEND CURL_LIBS "iphlpapi")
+    list(APPEND CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS "iphlpapi")
   endif()
   if(NOT WINCE)
     list(APPEND CURL_LIBS "bcrypt")
@@ -1973,6 +1974,8 @@ if(WIN32)
   endif()
 endif()
 
+list(APPEND CURL_LIBS ${CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS})
+
 if(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "MSVC")  # MSVC but exclude clang-cl
   set_property(DIRECTORY APPEND PROPERTY COMPILE_OPTIONS "-MP")  # Parallel compilation
 endif()
diff --git a/docs/examples/CMakeLists.txt b/docs/examples/CMakeLists.txt
index 5954393017..0963c62d9a 100644
--- a/docs/examples/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/docs/examples/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ foreach(_target IN LISTS check_PROGRAMS)
   set(_target_name "curl-example-${_target}")
   add_executable(${_target_name} EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL "${_target}.c")
   add_dependencies(curl-examples ${_target_name})
-  target_link_libraries(${_target_name} ${LIB_SELECTED} ${CURL_LIBS})
+  target_link_libraries(${_target_name} ${LIB_SELECTED} ${CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS})
   target_compile_definitions(${_target_name} PRIVATE "CURL_NO_OLDIES" "$<$<BOOL:${MSVC}>:_CRT_SECURE_NO_DEPRECATE>")
   set_target_properties(${_target_name} PROPERTIES OUTPUT_NAME "${_target}" PROJECT_LABEL "Example ${_target}" UNITY_BUILD OFF)
 endforeach()
diff --git a/tests/client/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/client/CMakeLists.txt
index 0d8af56832..c8cec6f202 100644
--- a/tests/client/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/client/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ add_custom_command(OUTPUT "${BUNDLE}.c"
 
 add_executable(${BUNDLE} EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL "${BUNDLE}.c")
 add_dependencies(testdeps ${BUNDLE})
-target_link_libraries(${BUNDLE} ${LIB_SELECTED} ${CURL_LIBS})
+target_link_libraries(${BUNDLE} ${LIB_SELECTED} ${CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS})
 target_include_directories(${BUNDLE} PRIVATE
   "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/lib"            # for "curl_config.h"
   "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib"            # for "curl_setup.h", curlx
diff --git a/tests/libtest/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/libtest/CMakeLists.txt
index 859f29447d..77b69a0a30 100644
--- a/tests/libtest/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/libtest/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ add_custom_command(OUTPUT "${BUNDLE}.c"
 
 add_executable(${BUNDLE} EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL "${BUNDLE}.c")
 add_dependencies(testdeps ${BUNDLE})
-target_link_libraries(${BUNDLE} ${LIB_SELECTED} ${CURL_LIBS})
+target_link_libraries(${BUNDLE} ${LIB_SELECTED} ${CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS})
 target_include_directories(${BUNDLE} PRIVATE
   "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/lib"            # for "curl_config.h"
   "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib"            # for "curl_setup.h", curlx
diff --git a/tests/server/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/server/CMakeLists.txt
index 549b5536fc..887f8c72ec 100644
--- a/tests/server/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/server/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ add_custom_command(OUTPUT "${BUNDLE}.c"
 
 add_executable(${BUNDLE} EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL "${BUNDLE}.c")
 add_dependencies(testdeps ${BUNDLE})
-target_link_libraries(${BUNDLE} ${CURL_LIBS})
+target_link_libraries(${BUNDLE} ${CURL_NETWORK_AND_TIME_LIBS})
 target_include_directories(${BUNDLE} PRIVATE
   "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/lib"            # for "curl_config.h"
   "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib"            # for "curl_setup.h", curlx