diff --git a/upatch-manage/patch_entity.h b/upatch-manage/patch_entity.h
index 6035aacfd4344cbffcb57b78983eeb86587ff34f..1f4be0670131c22e8ca69b64dfe9b69f1c64f8b6 100644
--- a/upatch-manage/patch_entity.h
+++ b/upatch-manage/patch_entity.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #define _UPATCH_MANAGE_PATCH_ENTITY_H
 
 #include <linux/types.h>
+#include <linux/err.h>
 #include <linux/elf.h>
 #include <linux/module.h>
 #include <linux/kref.h>
@@ -145,7 +146,7 @@ void release_patch(struct kref *kref);
  */
 static inline struct patch_entity *get_patch(struct patch_entity *patch)
 {
-    if (unlikely(!patch)) {
+    if (unlikely(IS_ERR_OR_NULL(patch))) {
         return NULL;
     }
 
@@ -162,7 +163,7 @@ static inline struct patch_entity *get_patch(struct patch_entity *patch)
  */
 static inline void put_patch(struct patch_entity *patch)
 {
-    if (unlikely(!patch)) {
+    if (unlikely(IS_ERR_OR_NULL(patch))) {
         return;
     }
 
diff --git a/upatch-manage/patch_manage.c b/upatch-manage/patch_manage.c
index c0e238aa023ce297a51f1da550bf46607d4d4d0d..12409f1bd4bcc3e9682da9d7f04c52cdd621d49a 100644
--- a/upatch-manage/patch_manage.c
+++ b/upatch-manage/patch_manage.c
@@ -239,6 +239,7 @@ int upatch_load(const char *target_file, const char *patch_file)
         new_target = load_target(file);
         if (unlikely(IS_ERR(new_target))) {
             ret = PTR_ERR(new_target);
+            new_target = NULL;
             log_err("failed to load target %s, ret=%d\n", target_file, ret);
             goto release_out;
         }
diff --git a/upatch-manage/process_entity.h b/upatch-manage/process_entity.h
index de6635a8c5199ccd8b96d70349109c585da2e954..53f172e655d46b98ee672a2a275a3217ce4e5e9a 100644
--- a/upatch-manage/process_entity.h
+++ b/upatch-manage/process_entity.h
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
 #define _UPATCH_MANAGE_PROCESS_ENTITY_H
 
 #include <linux/types.h>
-#include <linux/mutex.h>
+#include <linux/err.h>
+
 #include <linux/sched.h>
 #include <linux/kref.h>
 #include <linux/spinlock.h>
@@ -112,7 +113,7 @@ void release_process(struct kref *kref);
  */
 static inline struct process_entity *get_process(struct process_entity *process)
 {
-    if (unlikely(!process)) {
+    if (unlikely(IS_ERR_OR_NULL(process))) {
         return NULL;
     }
 
@@ -129,7 +130,7 @@ static inline struct process_entity *get_process(struct process_entity *process)
  */
 static inline void put_process(struct process_entity *process)
 {
-    if (unlikely(!process)) {
+    if (unlikely(IS_ERR_OR_NULL(process))) {
         return;
     }
 
diff --git a/upatch-manage/target_entity.h b/upatch-manage/target_entity.h
index 7c0b96cd858e3814a0e2a117aff0d4f7a4189c9b..6f07f848c589e003f0ce9c04938b04e9876b224a 100644
--- a/upatch-manage/target_entity.h
+++ b/upatch-manage/target_entity.h
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 
 #include <linux/types.h>
 #include <linux/limits.h>
+#include <linux/err.h>
 
 #include <linux/mutex.h>
 #include <linux/spinlock.h>
@@ -150,7 +151,7 @@ void release_target(struct kref *kref);
  */
 static inline struct target_entity *get_target(struct target_entity *target)
 {
-    if (unlikely(!target)) {
+    if (unlikely(IS_ERR_OR_NULL(target))) {
         return NULL;
     }
 
@@ -167,7 +168,7 @@ static inline struct target_entity *get_target(struct target_entity *target)
  */
 static inline void put_target(struct target_entity *target)
 {
-    if (unlikely(!target)) {
+    if (unlikely(IS_ERR_OR_NULL(target))) {
         return;
     }