diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
index 31d915d25b9..01a015f32c7 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
@@ -163,6 +163,11 @@ Release 2.8.0 - UNRELEASED
 
     HADOOP-11958. MetricsSystemImpl fails to show backtrace when an error
     occurs (Jason Lowe via jeagles)
+
+    HADOOP-12158. Improve error message in
+    TestCryptoStreamsWithOpensslAesCtrCryptoCodec when OpenSSL is not
+    installed. (wang)
+
   OPTIMIZATIONS
 
     HADOOP-11785. Reduce the number of listStatus operation in distcp
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/crypto/TestCryptoStreamsWithOpensslAesCtrCryptoCodec.java b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/crypto/TestCryptoStreamsWithOpensslAesCtrCryptoCodec.java
index 4f90a0c27fb..684ec097dd7 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/crypto/TestCryptoStreamsWithOpensslAesCtrCryptoCodec.java
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/crypto/TestCryptoStreamsWithOpensslAesCtrCryptoCodec.java
@@ -19,9 +19,11 @@ package org.apache.hadoop.crypto;
 
 import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
 import org.apache.hadoop.fs.CommonConfigurationKeysPublic;
-import org.junit.Assert;
 import org.junit.BeforeClass;
 
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
+
 public class TestCryptoStreamsWithOpensslAesCtrCryptoCodec 
     extends TestCryptoStreams {
   
@@ -32,7 +34,10 @@ public class TestCryptoStreamsWithOpensslAesCtrCryptoCodec
         CommonConfigurationKeysPublic.HADOOP_SECURITY_CRYPTO_CODEC_CLASSES_AES_CTR_NOPADDING_KEY,
         OpensslAesCtrCryptoCodec.class.getName());
     codec = CryptoCodec.getInstance(conf);
-    Assert.assertEquals(OpensslAesCtrCryptoCodec.class.getCanonicalName(), 
+    assertNotNull("Unable to instantiate codec " +
+        OpensslAesCtrCryptoCodec.class.getName() + ", is the required "
+        + "version of OpenSSL installed?", codec);
+    assertEquals(OpensslAesCtrCryptoCodec.class.getCanonicalName(),
         codec.getClass().getCanonicalName());
   }
 }