diff --git a/src/ripple/app/ledger/impl/InboundLedgers.cpp b/src/ripple/app/ledger/impl/InboundLedgers.cpp
index c676dd62f..cb94df19a 100644
--- a/src/ripple/app/ledger/impl/InboundLedgers.cpp
+++ b/src/ripple/app/ledger/impl/InboundLedgers.cpp
@@ -239,6 +239,9 @@ public:
                     Blob (node.nodedata().begin(), node.nodedata().end()),
                     0, snfWIRE, uZero, false);
 
+                if (!newNode)
+                    return;
+
                 s.erase();
                 newNode->addRaw(s, snfPREFIX);
 
diff --git a/src/ripple/shamap/impl/SHAMap.cpp b/src/ripple/shamap/impl/SHAMap.cpp
index b0ce1a72d..8e0a46916 100644
--- a/src/ripple/shamap/impl/SHAMap.cpp
+++ b/src/ripple/shamap/impl/SHAMap.cpp
@@ -181,7 +181,8 @@ SHAMap::fetchNodeFromDB (uint256 const& hash) const
             {
                 node = SHAMapAbstractNode::make(obj->getData(),
                     0, snfPREFIX, hash, true);
-                canonicalize (hash, node);
+                if (node)
+                    canonicalize (hash, node);
             }
             catch (...)
             {
@@ -210,9 +211,12 @@ SHAMap::checkFilter(uint256 const& hash, SHAMapNodeID const& id,
     if (filter->haveNode (id, hash, nodeData))
     {
         node = SHAMapAbstractNode::make(nodeData, 0, snfPREFIX, hash, true);
-        filter->gotNode (true, id, hash, nodeData, node->getType ());
-        if (backed_)
-            canonicalize (hash, node);
+        if (node)
+        {
+            filter->gotNode (true, id, hash, nodeData, node->getType ());
+            if (backed_)
+                canonicalize (hash, node);
+        }
     }
     return node;
 }
@@ -383,7 +387,7 @@ SHAMap::descendAsync (SHAMapInnerNode* parent, int branch,
 
             ptr = SHAMapAbstractNode::make(obj->getData(), 0, snfPREFIX, hash, true);
 
-            if (backed_)
+            if (ptr && backed_)
                 canonicalize (hash, ptr);
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/ripple/shamap/impl/SHAMapSync.cpp b/src/ripple/shamap/impl/SHAMapSync.cpp
index 8965cadf7..bc9db1977 100644
--- a/src/ripple/shamap/impl/SHAMapSync.cpp
+++ b/src/ripple/shamap/impl/SHAMapSync.cpp
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ SHAMapAddNode SHAMap::addRootNode (Blob const& rootNode,
 
     assert (seq_ >= 1);
     auto node = SHAMapAbstractNode::make(rootNode, 0, format, uZero, false);
-    if (!node)
+    if (!node || !node->isValid ())
         return SHAMapAddNode::invalid ();
 
 #ifdef BEAST_DEBUG
@@ -459,7 +459,7 @@ SHAMapAddNode SHAMap::addRootNode (uint256 const& hash, Blob const& rootNode, SH
 
     assert (seq_ >= 1);
     auto node = SHAMapAbstractNode::make(rootNode, 0, format, uZero, false);
-    if (!node || node->getNodeHash () != hash)
+    if (!node || !node->isValid() || node->getNodeHash () != hash)
         return SHAMapAddNode::invalid ();
 
     if (backed_)
@@ -537,6 +537,13 @@ SHAMap::addKnownNode (const SHAMapNodeID& node, Blob const& rawNode,
 
             auto newNode = SHAMapAbstractNode::make(rawNode, 0, snfWIRE, uZero, false);
 
+            if (!newNode || !newNode->isValid() || childHash != newNode->getNodeHash ())
+            {
+                if (journal_.warning) journal_.warning <<
+                    "Corrupt node received";
+                return SHAMapAddNode::invalid ();
+            }
+
             if (!newNode->isInBounds (iNodeID))
             {
                 // Map is provably invalid
@@ -544,13 +551,6 @@ SHAMap::addKnownNode (const SHAMapNodeID& node, Blob const& rawNode,
                 return SHAMapAddNode::useful ();
             }
 
-            if (childHash != newNode->getNodeHash ())
-            {
-                if (journal_.warning) journal_.warning <<
-                    "Corrupt node received";
-                return SHAMapAddNode::invalid ();
-            }
-
             if (backed_)
                 canonicalize (childHash, newNode);
 
diff --git a/src/ripple/shamap/impl/SHAMapTreeNode.cpp b/src/ripple/shamap/impl/SHAMapTreeNode.cpp
index 2f0dca846..917887674 100644
--- a/src/ripple/shamap/impl/SHAMapTreeNode.cpp
+++ b/src/ripple/shamap/impl/SHAMapTreeNode.cpp
@@ -79,28 +79,14 @@ SHAMapAbstractNode::make(Blob const& rawNode, std::uint32_t seq, SHANodeFormat f
     if (format == snfWIRE)
     {
         if (rawNode.empty ())
-        {
-#ifdef BEAST_DEBUG
-            deprecatedLogs().journal("SHAMapTreeNode").fatal <<
-                "Wire format node is empty";
-            assert (false);
-#endif
-            throw std::runtime_error ("invalid node AW type");
-        }
+            return {};
 
         Serializer s (rawNode.data(), rawNode.size() - 1);
         int type = rawNode.back ();
         int len = s.getLength ();
 
         if ((type < 0) || (type > 4))
-        {
-#ifdef BEAST_DEBUG
-            deprecatedLogs().journal("SHAMapTreeNode").fatal <<
-                "Invalid wire format node" << strHex (rawNode);
-            assert (false);
-#endif
-            throw std::runtime_error ("invalid node AW type");
-        }
+            return {};
 
         if (type == 0)
         {