diff --git a/source3/modules/vfs_full_audit.c b/source3/modules/vfs_full_audit.c
index af37cf19335..6bc57ba5036 100644
--- a/source3/modules/vfs_full_audit.c
+++ b/source3/modules/vfs_full_audit.c
@@ -515,13 +515,13 @@ static struct bitmap *init_bitmap(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx, const char **ops)
 	struct bitmap *bm;
 
 	if (ops == NULL) {
+		DBG_ERR("init_bitmap, ops list is empty (logic error)\n");
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
 	bm = bitmap_talloc(mem_ctx, SMB_VFS_OP_LAST);
 	if (bm == NULL) {
-		DEBUG(0, ("Could not alloc bitmap -- "
-			  "defaulting to logging everything\n"));
+		DBG_ERR("Could not alloc bitmap\n");
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
@@ -563,7 +563,7 @@ static struct bitmap *init_bitmap(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx, const char **ops)
 			}
 		}
 		if (i == SMB_VFS_OP_LAST) {
-			DEBUG(0, ("Could not find opname %s, logging all\n",
+			DEBUG(0, ("Could not find opname %s\n",
 				  *ops));
 			TALLOC_FREE(bm);
 			return NULL;
@@ -752,9 +752,19 @@ static int smb_full_audit_connect(vfs_handle_struct *handle,
 	pd->success_ops = init_bitmap(
 		pd, lp_parm_string_list(SNUM(handle->conn), "full_audit",
 					"success", none));
+	if (pd->success_ops == NULL) {
+		DBG_ERR("Invalid success operations list. Failing connect\n");
+		SMB_VFS_NEXT_DISCONNECT(handle);
+		return -1;
+	}
 	pd->failure_ops = init_bitmap(
 		pd, lp_parm_string_list(SNUM(handle->conn), "full_audit",
 					"failure", none));
+	if (pd->failure_ops == NULL) {
+		DBG_ERR("Invalid failure operations list. Failing connect\n");
+		SMB_VFS_NEXT_DISCONNECT(handle);
+		return -1;
+	}
 
 	/* Store the private data. */
 	SMB_VFS_HANDLE_SET_DATA(handle, pd, NULL,