diff --git a/fs/ubifs/key.h b/fs/ubifs/key.h
index 0f530c6..92a8491 100644
--- a/fs/ubifs/key.h
+++ b/fs/ubifs/key.h
@@ -306,6 +306,20 @@
 }
 
 /**
+ * invalid_key_init - initialize invalid node key.
+ * @c: UBIFS file-system description object
+ * @key: key to initialize
+ *
+ * This is a helper function which marks a @key object as invalid.
+ */
+static inline void invalid_key_init(const struct ubifs_info *c,
+				    union ubifs_key *key)
+{
+	key->u32[0] = 0xDEADBEAF;
+	key->u32[1] = UBIFS_INVALID_KEY;
+}
+
+/**
  * key_type - get key type.
  * @c: UBIFS file-system description object
  * @key: key to get type of
diff --git a/fs/ubifs/scan.c b/fs/ubifs/scan.c
index a0a305c..3e1ee57 100644
--- a/fs/ubifs/scan.c
+++ b/fs/ubifs/scan.c
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@
 	struct ubifs_ino_node *ino = buf;
 	struct ubifs_scan_node *snod;
 
-	snod = kzalloc(sizeof(struct ubifs_scan_node), GFP_NOFS);
+	snod = kmalloc(sizeof(struct ubifs_scan_node), GFP_NOFS);
 	if (!snod)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
@@ -218,6 +218,9 @@
 		 */
 		key_read(c, &ino->key, &snod->key);
 		break;
+	default:
+		invalid_key_init(c, &snod->key);
+		break;
 	}
 	list_add_tail(&snod->list, &sleb->nodes);
 	sleb->nodes_cnt += 1;
diff --git a/fs/ubifs/tnc.c b/fs/ubifs/tnc.c
index 2194915..ad9cf01 100644
--- a/fs/ubifs/tnc.c
+++ b/fs/ubifs/tnc.c
@@ -1177,6 +1177,7 @@
 	unsigned long time = get_seconds();
 
 	dbg_tnc("search key %s", DBGKEY(key));
+	ubifs_assert(key_type(c, key) < UBIFS_INVALID_KEY);
 
 	znode = c->zroot.znode;
 	if (unlikely(!znode)) {
@@ -2966,7 +2967,7 @@
  *
  * This function searches an indexing node by its first key @key and its
  * address @lnum:@offs. It looks up the indexing tree by pulling all indexing
- * nodes it traverses to TNC. This function is called fro indexing nodes which
+ * nodes it traverses to TNC. This function is called for indexing nodes which
  * were found on the media by scanning, for example when garbage-collecting or
  * when doing in-the-gaps commit. This means that the indexing node which is
  * looked for does not have to have exactly the same leftmost key @key, because
@@ -2988,6 +2989,8 @@
 	struct ubifs_znode *znode, *zn;
 	int n, nn;
 
+	ubifs_assert(key_type(c, key) < UBIFS_INVALID_KEY);
+
 	/*
 	 * The arguments have probably been read off flash, so don't assume
 	 * they are valid.
diff --git a/fs/ubifs/ubifs.h b/fs/ubifs/ubifs.h
index 0c9876b..c4dc9b1 100644
--- a/fs/ubifs/ubifs.h
+++ b/fs/ubifs/ubifs.h
@@ -119,8 +119,12 @@
  * in TNC. However, when replaying, it is handy to introduce fake "truncation"
  * keys for truncation nodes because the code becomes simpler. So we define
  * %UBIFS_TRUN_KEY type.
+ *
+ * But otherwise, out of the journal reply scope, the truncation keys are
+ * invalid.
  */
-#define UBIFS_TRUN_KEY UBIFS_KEY_TYPES_CNT
+#define UBIFS_TRUN_KEY    UBIFS_KEY_TYPES_CNT
+#define UBIFS_INVALID_KEY UBIFS_KEY_TYPES_CNT
 
 /*
  * How much a directory entry/extended attribute entry adds to the parent/host