diff --git a/sk1/compressor.c b/sk1/compressor.c
index 8db8eff..3429d0d 100644
--- a/sk1/compressor.c
+++ b/sk1/compressor.c
@@ -133,7 +133,9 @@ void storeCodes(struct MinHeapNode* root, char** codes, char* currentCode, int t
     }
     if (!(root->left) && !(root->right)) {
         currentCode[top] = '\0';
+        if (root->data < 256) {  // Ensure data is within bounds
         codes[root->data] = strdup(currentCode);
+        }
     }
 }
 // Compress the input file using Huffman Coding