diff --git a/Utils/HandlerUtil.py b/Utils/HandlerUtil.py
index ebcd70851..3bb8d345d 100755
--- a/Utils/HandlerUtil.py
+++ b/Utils/HandlerUtil.py
@@ -172,6 +172,8 @@ def redact_protected_settings(content):
         return redacted
 
     def _parse_config(self, ctxt):
+        if ctxt == "":
+            return None
         config = None
         try:
             config = json.loads(ctxt)