diff --git a/src/util-mpm-ac-bs.c b/src/util-mpm-ac-bs.c
index 9e08a2344c..60608ab9fb 100644
--- a/src/util-mpm-ac-bs.c
+++ b/src/util-mpm-ac-bs.c
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ static inline SCACBSPattern *SCACBSInitHashLookup(SCACBSCtx *ctx, uint8_t *pat,
 {
     uint32_t hash = SCACBSInitHashRaw(pat, patlen);
 
-    if (ctx->init_hash[hash] == NULL) {
+    if (ctx->init_hash == NULL || ctx->init_hash[hash] == NULL) {
         return NULL;
     }
 
@@ -293,6 +293,10 @@ static inline int SCACBSInitHashAdd(SCACBSCtx *ctx, SCACBSPattern *p)
 {
     uint32_t hash = SCACBSInitHash(p);
 
+    if (ctx->init_hash == NULL) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
     if (ctx->init_hash[hash] == NULL) {
         ctx->init_hash[hash] = p;
         return 0;
@@ -1162,7 +1166,7 @@ int SCACBSPreparePatterns(MpmCtx *mpm_ctx)
 {
     SCACBSCtx *ctx = (SCACBSCtx *)mpm_ctx->ctx;
 
-    if (mpm_ctx->pattern_cnt == 0) {
+    if (mpm_ctx->pattern_cnt == 0 || ctx->init_hash == NULL) {
         SCLogDebug("no patterns supplied to this mpm_ctx");
         return 0;
     }
diff --git a/src/util-mpm-ac-gfbs.c b/src/util-mpm-ac-gfbs.c
index f26d7c82cc..885a66c2e9 100644
--- a/src/util-mpm-ac-gfbs.c
+++ b/src/util-mpm-ac-gfbs.c
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ static inline SCACGfbsPattern *SCACGfbsInitHashLookup(SCACGfbsCtx *ctx, uint8_t
 {
     uint32_t hash = SCACGfbsInitHashRaw(pat, patlen);
 
-    if (ctx->init_hash[hash] == NULL) {
+    if (ctx->init_hash == NULL || ctx->init_hash[hash] == NULL) {
         return NULL;
     }
 
@@ -287,6 +287,10 @@ static inline int SCACGfbsInitHashAdd(SCACGfbsCtx *ctx, SCACGfbsPattern *p)
 {
     uint32_t hash = SCACGfbsInitHash(p);
 
+    if (ctx->init_hash == NULL) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
     if (ctx->init_hash[hash] == NULL) {
         ctx->init_hash[hash] = p;
         return 0;
@@ -1036,7 +1040,7 @@ int SCACGfbsPreparePatterns(MpmCtx *mpm_ctx)
 {
     SCACGfbsCtx *ctx = (SCACGfbsCtx *)mpm_ctx->ctx;
 
-    if (mpm_ctx->pattern_cnt == 0) {
+    if (mpm_ctx->pattern_cnt == 0 || ctx->init_hash == NULL) {
         SCLogDebug("No patterns supplied to this mpm_ctx");
         return 0;
     }
diff --git a/src/util-mpm-ac.c b/src/util-mpm-ac.c
index e64aff95d0..dc520f1124 100644
--- a/src/util-mpm-ac.c
+++ b/src/util-mpm-ac.c
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ static inline SCACPattern *SCACInitHashLookup(SCACCtx *ctx, uint8_t *pat,
 {
     uint32_t hash = SCACInitHashRaw(pat, patlen);
 
-    if (ctx->init_hash[hash] == NULL) {
+    if (ctx->init_hash == NULL || ctx->init_hash[hash] == NULL) {
         return NULL;
     }
 
@@ -293,6 +293,10 @@ static inline int SCACInitHashAdd(SCACCtx *ctx, SCACPattern *p)
 {
     uint32_t hash = SCACInitHash(p);
 
+    if (ctx->init_hash == NULL) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
     if (ctx->init_hash[hash] == NULL) {
         ctx->init_hash[hash] = p;
         return 0;
@@ -953,7 +957,7 @@ int SCACPreparePatterns(MpmCtx *mpm_ctx)
 {
     SCACCtx *ctx = (SCACCtx *)mpm_ctx->ctx;
 
-    if (mpm_ctx->pattern_cnt == 0) {
+    if (mpm_ctx->pattern_cnt == 0 || ctx->init_hash == NULL) {
         SCLogDebug("no patterns supplied to this mpm_ctx");
         return 0;
     }