diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 1ebba4f..0bc6580 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -72,7 +72,8 @@
     dep = globals()[name.lower() + '_dep']
     return Extension(modname, src, libraries=Libraries, depends=dep,
                      include_dirs=IncludeDirs, library_dirs=LibraryDirs,
-                     extra_objects=ExtraObjects)
+                     extra_objects=ExtraObjects,
+                     extra_compile_args=["-O0"])
 
 setup(name='pyOpenSSL', version=__version__,
       package_dir = {'OpenSSL': '.'},
diff --git a/src/crypto/x509ext.c b/src/crypto/x509ext.c
index 1d412da..53dc48a 100644
--- a/src/crypto/x509ext.c
+++ b/src/crypto/x509ext.c
@@ -55,13 +55,19 @@
 crypto_X509ExtensionObj *
 crypto_X509Extension_New(char *type_name, int critical, char *value)
 {
+    X509V3_CTX ctx;
     crypto_X509ExtensionObj *self;
     char* value_with_critical = NULL;
 
+    /* We have no configuration database - but perhaps we should.  Anyhow, the
+     * context is necessary for any extension which uses the r2i conversion
+     * method.  That is, X509V3_EXT_nconf may segfault if passed a NULL ctx. */
+    X509V3_set_ctx_nodb(&ctx);
+
     self = PyObject_New(crypto_X509ExtensionObj, &crypto_X509Extension_Type);
 
     if (self == NULL) {
-        return NULL;
+	    goto error;
     }
 
     self->dealloc = 0;
@@ -74,6 +80,10 @@
      * invoke.  I do not know where to get the ext_struc it desires for its
      * last parameter, though.) */
     value_with_critical = malloc(strlen("critical,") + strlen(value) + 1);
+    if (!value_with_critical) {
+	    goto critical_malloc_error;
+    }
+
     if (critical) {
 	    strcpy(value_with_critical, "critical,");
 	    strcpy(value_with_critical + strlen("critical,"), value);
@@ -82,18 +92,26 @@
     }
 
     self->x509_extension = X509V3_EXT_nconf(
-	    NULL, NULL, type_name, value_with_critical);
+	    NULL, &ctx, type_name, value_with_critical);
 
     free(value_with_critical);
 
     if (!self->x509_extension) {
-	    PyObject_Free(self);
-	    exception_from_error_queue();
-	    return NULL;
+	    goto nconf_error;
     }
 
     self->dealloc = 1;
     return self;
+
+  nconf_error:
+    exception_from_error_queue();
+
+  critical_malloc_error:
+    PyObject_Free(self);
+
+  error:
+    return NULL;
+
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/test/test_crypto.py b/test/test_crypto.py
index d4c4b68..2ddb84d 100644
--- a/test/test_crypto.py
+++ b/test/test_crypto.py
@@ -90,13 +90,13 @@
         L{X509Extension} accepts an extension type name, a critical flag,
         and an extension value and returns an L{X509ExtensionType} instance.
         """
-        basic = X509Extension('basicConstraints', 1, 'CA:true')
+        basic = X509Extension('basicConstraints', True, 'CA:true')
         self.assertTrue(
             isinstance(basic, X509ExtensionType),
             "%r is of type %r, should be %r" % (
                 basic, type(basic), X509ExtensionType))
 
-        comment = X509Extension('nsComment', 0, 'pyOpenSSL unit test')
+        comment = X509Extension('nsComment', False, 'pyOpenSSL unit test')
         self.assertTrue(
             isinstance(comment, X509ExtensionType),
             "%r is of type %r, should be %r" % (
@@ -113,15 +113,23 @@
         self.assertRaises(
             Error, X509Extension, 'basicConstraints', False, 'blah blah')
 
+        # Exercise a weird one (an extension which uses the r2i method).  This
+        # exercises the codepath that requires a non-NULL ctx to be passed to
+        # X509V3_EXT_nconf.  It can't work now because we provide no
+        # configuration database.  It might be made to work in the future.
+        self.assertRaises(
+            Error, X509Extension, 'proxyCertInfo', True,
+            'language:id-ppl-anyLanguage,pathlen:1,policy:text:AB')
+
 
     def test_get_critical(self):
         """
         L{X509ExtensionType.get_critical} returns the value of the
         extension's critical flag.
         """
-        ext = X509Extension('basicConstraints', 1, 'CA:true')
+        ext = X509Extension('basicConstraints', True, 'CA:true')
         self.assertTrue(ext.get_critical())
-        ext = X509Extension('basicConstraints', 0, 'CA:true')
+        ext = X509Extension('basicConstraints', False, 'CA:true')
         self.assertFalse(ext.get_critical())