diff --git a/src/jtag/tcl.c b/src/jtag/tcl.c
index 3b2f83b5a..468edf5e5 100644
--- a/src/jtag/tcl.c
+++ b/src/jtag/tcl.c
@@ -172,6 +172,7 @@ static int Jim_Command_drscan(Jim_Interp *interp, int argc, Jim_Obj *const *args
 	}
 
 	num_fields = (argc-2)/2;
+	assert(num_fields > 0);
 	fields = malloc(sizeof(struct scan_field) * num_fields);
 	for (i = 2; i < argc; i += 2)
 	{
diff --git a/src/target/image.c b/src/target/image.c
index 21ce11f63..8f437c035 100644
--- a/src/target/image.c
+++ b/src/target/image.c
@@ -473,6 +473,8 @@ static int image_elf_read_headers(struct image *image)
 		if ((field32(elf, elf->segments[i].p_type) == PT_LOAD) && (field32(elf, elf->segments[i].p_filesz) != 0))
 			image->num_sections++;
 
+	assert(image->num_sections > 0);
+
 	/**
 	 * some ELF linkers produce binaries with *all* the program header
 	 * p_paddr fields zero (there can be however one loadable segment