diff --git a/src/transports/http.c b/src/transports/http.c
index ad28c5889..155fd7b30 100644
--- a/src/transports/http.c
+++ b/src/transports/http.c
@@ -624,13 +624,12 @@ static int http_connect(http_subtransport *t)
 	if ((!error || error == GIT_ECERTIFICATE) && t->owner->certificate_check_cb != NULL &&
 	    git_stream_is_encrypted(t->io)) {
 		git_cert *cert;
-		int is_valid;
+		int is_valid = (error == GIT_OK);
 
 		if ((error = git_stream_certificate(&cert, t->io)) < 0)
 			return error;
 
 		giterr_clear();
-		is_valid = error != GIT_ECERTIFICATE;
 		error = t->owner->certificate_check_cb(cert, is_valid, t->connection_data.host, t->owner->message_cb_payload);
 
 		if (error < 0) {
diff --git a/src/transports/smart_pkt.c b/src/transports/smart_pkt.c
index 2297cc94f..e05196cd8 100644
--- a/src/transports/smart_pkt.c
+++ b/src/transports/smart_pkt.c
@@ -427,15 +427,23 @@ int git_pkt_parse_line(
 	if (bufflen > 0 && bufflen < (size_t)len)
 		return GIT_EBUFS;
 
+	/*
+	 * The length has to be exactly 0 in case of a flush
+	 * packet or greater than PKT_LEN_SIZE, as the decoded
+	 * length includes its own encoded length of four bytes.
+	 */
+	if (len != 0 && len < PKT_LEN_SIZE)
+		return GIT_ERROR;
+
 	line += PKT_LEN_SIZE;
 	/*
-	 * TODO: How do we deal with empty lines? Try again? with the next
-	 * line?
+	 * The Git protocol does not specify empty lines as part
+	 * of the protocol. Not knowing what to do with an empty
+	 * line, we should return an error upon hitting one.
 	 */
 	if (len == PKT_LEN_SIZE) {
-		*head = NULL;
-		*out = line;
-		return 0;
+		giterr_set_str(GITERR_NET, "Invalid empty packet");
+		return GIT_ERROR;
 	}
 
 	if (len == 0) { /* Flush pkt */
diff --git a/src/transports/smart_protocol.c b/src/transports/smart_protocol.c
index 53c0b089e..db6a8b9c8 100644
--- a/src/transports/smart_protocol.c
+++ b/src/transports/smart_protocol.c
@@ -763,14 +763,6 @@ static int add_push_report_sideband_pkt(git_push *push, git_pkt_data *data_pkt,
 		line_len -= (line_end - line);
 		line = line_end;
 
-		/* When a valid packet with no content has been
-		 * read, git_pkt_parse_line does not report an
-		 * error, but the pkt pointer has not been set.
-		 * Handle this by skipping over empty packets.
-		 */
-		if (pkt == NULL)
-			continue;
-
 		error = add_push_report_pkt(push, pkt);
 
 		git_pkt_free(pkt);
@@ -825,9 +817,6 @@ static int parse_report(transport_smart *transport, git_push *push)
 
 		error = 0;
 
-		if (pkt == NULL)
-			continue;
-
 		switch (pkt->type) {
 			case GIT_PKT_DATA:
 				/* This is a sideband packet which contains other packets */
diff --git a/tests/online/badssl.c b/tests/online/badssl.c
index 66b090df4..aa4c24d9c 100644
--- a/tests/online/badssl.c
+++ b/tests/online/badssl.c
@@ -10,37 +10,71 @@ static bool g_has_ssl = true;
 static bool g_has_ssl = false;
 #endif
 
+static int cert_check_assert_invalid(git_cert *cert, int valid, const char* host, void *payload)
+{
+	GIT_UNUSED(cert); GIT_UNUSED(host); GIT_UNUSED(payload);
+
+	cl_assert_equal_i(0, valid);
+
+	return GIT_ECERTIFICATE;
+}
+
 void test_online_badssl__expired(void)
 {
+	git_clone_options opts = GIT_CLONE_OPTIONS_INIT;
+	opts.fetch_opts.callbacks.certificate_check = cert_check_assert_invalid;
+
 	if (!g_has_ssl)
 		cl_skip();
 
 	cl_git_fail_with(GIT_ECERTIFICATE,
 			 git_clone(&g_repo, "https://expired.badssl.com/fake.git", "./fake", NULL));
+
+	cl_git_fail_with(GIT_ECERTIFICATE,
+			 git_clone(&g_repo, "https://expired.badssl.com/fake.git", "./fake", &opts));
 }
 
 void test_online_badssl__wrong_host(void)
 {
+	git_clone_options opts = GIT_CLONE_OPTIONS_INIT;
+	opts.fetch_opts.callbacks.certificate_check = cert_check_assert_invalid;
+
 	if (!g_has_ssl)
 		cl_skip();
 
 	cl_git_fail_with(GIT_ECERTIFICATE,
 			 git_clone(&g_repo, "https://wrong.host.badssl.com/fake.git", "./fake", NULL));
+	cl_git_fail_with(GIT_ECERTIFICATE,
+			 git_clone(&g_repo, "https://wrong.host.badssl.com/fake.git", "./fake", &opts));
 }
 
 void test_online_badssl__self_signed(void)
 {
+	git_clone_options opts = GIT_CLONE_OPTIONS_INIT;
+	opts.fetch_opts.callbacks.certificate_check = cert_check_assert_invalid;
+
 	if (!g_has_ssl)
 		cl_skip();
 
 	cl_git_fail_with(GIT_ECERTIFICATE,
 			 git_clone(&g_repo, "https://self-signed.badssl.com/fake.git", "./fake", NULL));
+	cl_git_fail_with(GIT_ECERTIFICATE,
+			 git_clone(&g_repo, "https://self-signed.badssl.com/fake.git", "./fake", &opts));
 }
 
 void test_online_badssl__old_cipher(void)
 {
+	git_clone_options opts = GIT_CLONE_OPTIONS_INIT;
+	opts.fetch_opts.callbacks.certificate_check = cert_check_assert_invalid;
+
+	/* FIXME: we don't actually reject RC4 anywhere, figure out what to tweak */
+	cl_skip();
+
 	if (!g_has_ssl)
 		cl_skip();
 
-	cl_git_fail(git_clone(&g_repo, "https://rc4.badssl.com/fake.git", "./fake", NULL));
+	cl_git_fail_with(GIT_ECERTIFICATE,
+			 git_clone(&g_repo, "https://rc4.badssl.com/fake.git", "./fake", NULL));
+	cl_git_fail_with(GIT_ECERTIFICATE,
+			 git_clone(&g_repo, "https://rc4.badssl.com/fake.git", "./fake", &opts));
 }