diff --git a/src/crypto/crypto_cipher.cc b/src/crypto/crypto_cipher.cc
index f65b7c41bd996d..e58261b411d8fe 100644
--- a/src/crypto/crypto_cipher.cc
+++ b/src/crypto/crypto_cipher.cc
@@ -197,10 +197,14 @@ void CipherBase::GetSSLCiphers(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
   Environment* env = Environment::GetCurrent(args);
 
   SSLCtxPointer ctx(SSL_CTX_new(TLS_method()));
-  CHECK(ctx);
+  if (!ctx) {
+    return ThrowCryptoError(env, ERR_get_error(), "SSL_CTX_new");
+  }
 
   SSLPointer ssl(SSL_new(ctx.get()));
-  CHECK(ssl);
+  if (!ssl) {
+    return ThrowCryptoError(env, ERR_get_error(), "SSL_new");
+  }
 
   STACK_OF(SSL_CIPHER)* ciphers = SSL_get_ciphers(ssl.get());
 
diff --git a/src/crypto/crypto_context.cc b/src/crypto/crypto_context.cc
index 739b559c3b7b22..f8125ab706b733 100644
--- a/src/crypto/crypto_context.cc
+++ b/src/crypto/crypto_context.cc
@@ -508,6 +508,9 @@ void SecureContext::Init(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
   }
 
   sc->ctx_.reset(SSL_CTX_new(method));
+  if (!sc->ctx_) {
+    return ThrowCryptoError(env, ERR_get_error(), "SSL_CTX_new");
+  }
   SSL_CTX_set_app_data(sc->ctx_.get(), sc);
 
   // Disable SSLv2 in the case when method == TLS_method() and the