diff --git a/crypto/rsa/rsa_oaep.c b/crypto/rsa/rsa_oaep.c
index 70bacf850e36cfddce20c076a1fd79400a8d80e7..e238d10e5cc6fc517e0a6ce4cb42f453da2552ad 100644
--- a/crypto/rsa/rsa_oaep.c
+++ b/crypto/rsa/rsa_oaep.c
@@ -52,13 +52,6 @@ int RSA_padding_add_PKCS1_OAEP(unsigned char *to, int tlen,
 		return 0;
 		}
 
-	dbmask = OPENSSL_malloc(emlen - SHA_DIGEST_LENGTH);
-	if (dbmask == NULL)
-		{
-		RSAerr(RSA_F_RSA_PADDING_ADD_PKCS1_OAEP, ERR_R_MALLOC_FAILURE);
-		return 0;
-		}
-
 	to[0] = 0;
 	seed = to + 1;
 	db = to + SHA_DIGEST_LENGTH + 1;
@@ -76,6 +69,13 @@ int RSA_padding_add_PKCS1_OAEP(unsigned char *to, int tlen,
 	   20);
 #endif
 
+	dbmask = OPENSSL_malloc(emlen - SHA_DIGEST_LENGTH);
+	if (dbmask == NULL)
+		{
+		RSAerr(RSA_F_RSA_PADDING_ADD_PKCS1_OAEP, ERR_R_MALLOC_FAILURE);
+		return 0;
+		}
+
 	if (MGF1(dbmask, emlen - SHA_DIGEST_LENGTH, seed, SHA_DIGEST_LENGTH) < 0)
 		return 0;
 	for (i = 0; i < emlen - SHA_DIGEST_LENGTH; i++)