diff --git a/src/streams.h b/src/streams.h
--- a/src/streams.h
+++ b/src/streams.h
@@ -235,25 +235,35 @@
 
     void insert(iterator it, std::vector<char>::const_iterator first,
                 std::vector<char>::const_iterator last) {
-        assert(last - first >= 0);
+        if (last == first) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        assert(last - first > 0);
         if (it == vch.begin() + nReadPos &&
             (unsigned int)(last - first) <= nReadPos) {
             // special case for inserting at the front when there's room
             nReadPos -= (last - first);
             memcpy(&vch[nReadPos], &first[0], last - first);
-        } else
+        } else {
             vch.insert(it, first, last);
+        }
     }
 
     void insert(iterator it, const char *first, const char *last) {
-        assert(last - first >= 0);
+        if (last == first) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        assert(last - first > 0);
         if (it == vch.begin() + nReadPos &&
             (unsigned int)(last - first) <= nReadPos) {
             // special case for inserting at the front when there's room
             nReadPos -= (last - first);
             memcpy(&vch[nReadPos], &first[0], last - first);
-        } else
+        } else {
             vch.insert(it, first, last);
+        }
     }
 
     iterator erase(iterator it) {
@@ -266,8 +276,9 @@
                 return vch.erase(vch.begin(), vch.end());
             }
             return vch.begin() + nReadPos;
-        } else
+        } else {
             return vch.erase(it);
+        }
     }
 
     iterator erase(iterator first, iterator last) {
@@ -309,6 +320,10 @@
     int GetVersion() const { return nVersion; }
 
     void read(char *pch, size_t nSize) {
+        if (nSize == 0) {
+            return;
+        }
+
         // Read from the beginning of the buffer
         unsigned int nReadPosNext = nReadPos + nSize;
         if (nReadPosNext >= vch.size()) {
@@ -365,8 +380,8 @@
         return (*this);
     }
 
-    void GetAndClear(CSerializeData &data) {
-        data.insert(data.end(), begin(), end());
+    void GetAndClear(CSerializeData &d) {
+        d.insert(d.end(), begin(), end());
         clear();
     }
 
diff --git a/src/test/streams_tests.cpp b/src/test/streams_tests.cpp
--- a/src/test/streams_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/test/streams_tests.cpp
@@ -118,4 +118,22 @@
                       std::string(ds.begin(), ds.end()));
 }
 
+BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(streams_empty_vector) {
+    std::vector<char> in;
+    CDataStream ds(in, 0, 0);
+
+    // read 0 bytes used to cause a segfault on some older systems.
+    ds.read(nullptr, 0);
+
+    // Same goes for writing 0 bytes from a vector ...
+    const std::vector<char> vdata{'f', 'o', 'o', 'b', 'a', 'r'};
+    ds.insert(ds.begin(), vdata.begin(), vdata.begin());
+    ds.insert(ds.begin(), vdata.begin(), vdata.end());
+
+    // ... or an array.
+    const char adata[6] = {'f', 'o', 'o', 'b', 'a', 'r'};
+    ds.insert(ds.begin(), &adata[0], &adata[0]);
+    ds.insert(ds.begin(), &adata[0], &adata[6]);
+}
+
 BOOST_AUTO_TEST_SUITE_END()