diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index e8eea19b2c..f4408819cf 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ Changes in version 0.2.0.16-alpha - 2008-01-??
     - Make bridges round geoip info up, not down.
     - Avoid a spurious free on base64 failure.  Bugfix on 0.1.2.
     - Detect more kinds of possible internal error.
+    - Avoid possible segfault if key generation fails in
+      crypto_pk_hybrid_encrypt. Bugfix on 0.2.0.
 
   o Minor features (controller):
     - Get NS events working again.  (Patch from tup)
diff --git a/src/common/crypto.c b/src/common/crypto.c
index f76eb9d01d..6f7ffd3f58 100644
--- a/src/common/crypto.c
+++ b/src/common/crypto.c
@@ -858,8 +858,10 @@ crypto_pk_public_hybrid_encrypt(crypto_pk_env_t *env,
   crypto_free_cipher_env(cipher);
   return outlen + symlen;
  err:
-  memset(buf, 0, pkeylen);
-  tor_free(buf);
+  if (buf) {
+    memset(buf, 0, pkeylen);
+    tor_free(buf);
+  }
   if (cipher) crypto_free_cipher_env(cipher);
   return -1;
 }