diff --git a/src/ssl.c b/src/ssl.c
index db597a303..7a5975e26 100644
--- a/src/ssl.c
+++ b/src/ssl.c
@@ -7747,7 +7747,7 @@ int wolfSSL_CTX_check_private_key(const WOLFSSL_CTX* ctx)
 
     WOLFSSL_ENTER("wolfSSL_CTX_check_private_key");
 
-    if (ctx == NULL || ctx->certificate == NULL) {
+    if (ctx == NULL || ctx->certificate == NULL || ctx->privateKey == NULL) {
         return WOLFSSL_FAILURE;
     }