diff --git a/src/detect-depth.c b/src/detect-depth.c
index f58438dae4..9e323f6bf8 100644
--- a/src/detect-depth.c
+++ b/src/detect-depth.c
@@ -62,12 +62,14 @@ static int DetectDepthSetup (DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, Signature *s, char *depths
     SigMatch *pm = NULL;
     int ret = -1;
 
-    /* strip "'s */
-    if (depthstr[0] == '\"' && depthstr[strlen(depthstr) - 1] == '\"') {
+    /* Strip leading and trailing "s. */
+    if (depthstr[0] == '\"') {
         str = SCStrdup(depthstr + 1);
         if (unlikely(str == NULL))
             goto end;
-        str[strlen(depthstr) - 2] = '\0';
+        if (strlen(str) && str[strlen(str) - 1] == '\"') {
+            str[strlen(str) - 1] = '\0';
+        }
         dubbed = 1;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/detect-distance.c b/src/detect-distance.c
index a8284dbeb3..33b32787f7 100644
--- a/src/detect-distance.c
+++ b/src/detect-distance.c
@@ -70,12 +70,14 @@ static int DetectDistanceSetup (DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, Signature *s,
     SigMatch *pm = NULL;
     int ret = -1;
 
-    /* strip "'s */
-    if (distancestr[0] == '\"' && distancestr[strlen(distancestr) - 1] == '\"') {
+    /* Strip leading and trailing "s. */
+    if (distancestr[0] == '\"') {
         str = SCStrdup(distancestr + 1);
         if (unlikely(str == NULL))
             goto end;
-        str[strlen(distancestr) - 2] = '\0';
+        if (strlen(str) && str[strlen(str) - 1] == '\"') {
+            str[strlen(str) - 1] = '\0';
+        }
         dubbed = 1;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/detect-l3proto.c b/src/detect-l3proto.c
index c67b47c8bb..f7e4995290 100644
--- a/src/detect-l3proto.c
+++ b/src/detect-l3proto.c
@@ -73,12 +73,14 @@ static int DetectL3ProtoSetup(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, Signature *s, char *optst
     char *str = optstr;
     char dubbed = 0;
 
-    /* strip "'s */
-    if (optstr[0] == '\"' && optstr[strlen(optstr) - 1] == '\"') {
+    /* Strip leading and trailing "s. */
+    if (optstr[0] == '\"') {
         str = SCStrdup(optstr + 1);
         if (unlikely(str == NULL))
             goto error;
-        str[strlen(optstr) - 2] = '\0';
+        if (strlen(str) && str[strlen(str) - 1] == '\"') {
+            str[strlen(str) - 1] = '\0';
+        }
         dubbed = 1;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/detect-msg.c b/src/detect-msg.c
index e8b8752967..eddf311972 100644
--- a/src/detect-msg.c
+++ b/src/detect-msg.c
@@ -51,28 +51,34 @@ static int DetectMsgSetup (DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, Signature *s, char *msgstr)
 {
     char *str = NULL;
     uint16_t len;
+    uint16_t pos = 0;
+    uint16_t slen = 0;
 
-    if (strlen(msgstr) == 0)
+    slen = strlen(msgstr);
+    if (slen == 0)
         goto error;
 
-    /* strip "'s */
-    if (msgstr[0] == '\"' && msgstr[strlen(msgstr)-1] == '\"') {
+    /* skip the first spaces */
+    while (pos < slen && isspace((unsigned char)msgstr[pos]))
+        pos++;
+
+    /* Strip leading and trailing "s. */
+    if (msgstr[pos] == '\"') {
         str = SCStrdup(msgstr+1);
         if (unlikely(str == NULL))
             goto error;
-        str[strlen(msgstr)-2] = '\0';
-    } else if (msgstr[1] == '\"' && msgstr[strlen(msgstr)-1] == '\"') {
-        /* XXX do this parsing in a better way */
-        str = SCStrdup(msgstr+2);
-        if (unlikely(str == NULL))
-            goto error;
-        str[strlen(msgstr)-3] = '\0';
-        //printf("DetectMsgSetup: format hack applied: \'%s\'\n", str);
+        if (strlen(str) && str[strlen(str) - 1] == '\"') {
+            str[strlen(str)-1] = '\0';
+        }
     } else {
         SCLogError(SC_ERR_INVALID_VALUE, "format error \'%s\'", msgstr);
         goto error;
     }
 
+    /* make sure that we don't proceed with null pointer */
+    if (unlikely(str == NULL))
+        goto error;
+
     len = strlen(str);
     if (len == 0)
         goto error;
diff --git a/src/detect-offset.c b/src/detect-offset.c
index 65372ec0af..e13de7f602 100644
--- a/src/detect-offset.c
+++ b/src/detect-offset.c
@@ -61,12 +61,14 @@ int DetectOffsetSetup (DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, Signature *s, char *offsetstr)
     SigMatch *pm = NULL;
     int ret = -1;
 
-    /* strip "'s */
-   if (offsetstr[0] == '\"' && offsetstr[strlen(offsetstr)-1] == '\"') {
+    /* Strip leading and trailing "s. */
+    if (offsetstr[0] == '\"') {
         str = SCStrdup(offsetstr+1);
         if (unlikely(str == NULL))
             goto end;
-        str[strlen(offsetstr) - 2] = '\0';
+        if (strlen(str) && str[strlen(str) - 1] == '\"') {
+            str[strlen(str) - 1] = '\0';
+        }
         dubbed = 1;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/detect-rev.c b/src/detect-rev.c
index 6306f6cc7d..d540ec6163 100644
--- a/src/detect-rev.c
+++ b/src/detect-rev.c
@@ -46,13 +46,14 @@ static int DetectRevSetup (DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, Signature *s, char *rawstr)
     char *str = rawstr;
     char dubbed = 0;
 
-    /* strip "'s */
-    if (rawstr[0] == '\"' && rawstr[strlen(rawstr)-1] == '\"') {
+    /* Strip leading and trailing "s. */
+    if (rawstr[0] == '\"') {
         str = SCStrdup(rawstr+1);
         if (unlikely(str == NULL))
             return -1;
-
-        str[strlen(rawstr)-2] = '\0';
+        if (strlen(str) && str[strlen(str) - 1] == '\"') {
+            str[strlen(rawstr)-1] = '\0';
+        }
         dubbed = 1;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/detect-within.c b/src/detect-within.c
index 25c9723867..2845856fe2 100644
--- a/src/detect-within.c
+++ b/src/detect-within.c
@@ -74,12 +74,14 @@ static int DetectWithinSetup(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, Signature *s, char *within
     SigMatch *pm = NULL;
     int ret = -1;
 
-    /* strip "'s */
-    if (withinstr[0] == '\"' && withinstr[strlen(withinstr)-1] == '\"') {
+    /* Strip leading and trailing "s. */
+    if (withinstr[0] == '\"') {
         str = SCStrdup(withinstr+1);
         if (unlikely(str == NULL))
             goto end;
-        str[strlen(withinstr) - 2] = '\0';
+        if (strlen(str) && str[strlen(str) - 1] == '\"') {
+            str[strlen(str) - 1] = '\0';
+        }
         dubbed = 1;
     }