diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index c0ce181a7926d457116daa6b0a14bef1801bed98..5ea6ed4e21df4b509f07e1231fd8c87b997b4f49 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/spf13/viper v1.7.1
 	gitlab.com/elixxir/bloomfilter v0.0.0-20200930191214-10e9ac31b228
 	gitlab.com/elixxir/comms v0.0.4-0.20210413160356-853e51fc18e5
-	gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto v0.0.7-0.20210412231025-6f75c577f803
+	gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto v0.0.7-0.20210413184512-e41c09223958
 	gitlab.com/elixxir/ekv v0.1.5
 	gitlab.com/elixxir/primitives v0.0.3-0.20210409190923-7bf3cd8d97e7
 	gitlab.com/xx_network/comms v0.0.4-0.20210409202820-eb3dca6571d3
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 2c9ea3fd15a1237eb861a5d9eda5b25d0d4a42db..402ad991235bece5aa7817b32ce11df2b06d9808 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -269,6 +269,10 @@ gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto v0.0.7-0.20210412195114-be927031747a h1:DSYIXSCWrwkyHU
 gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto v0.0.7-0.20210412195114-be927031747a/go.mod h1:HMMRBuv/yMqB5c31G9OPlOAifOOqGypCyD5v6py+4vo=
 gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto v0.0.7-0.20210412231025-6f75c577f803 h1:8sLODlAYRT0Y9NA+uoMoF1qBrBRrW5TikyKAOvyCd+E=
 gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto v0.0.7-0.20210412231025-6f75c577f803/go.mod h1:HMMRBuv/yMqB5c31G9OPlOAifOOqGypCyD5v6py+4vo=
+gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto v0.0.7-0.20210413182603-9525e6071fa7 h1:V004OOQrZ6F0iH4BwjObFWbWWqzvKbXRd3Dv2UEz6AI=
+gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto v0.0.7-0.20210413182603-9525e6071fa7/go.mod h1:HMMRBuv/yMqB5c31G9OPlOAifOOqGypCyD5v6py+4vo=
+gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto v0.0.7-0.20210413184512-e41c09223958 h1:tjEWlRieizWKnHFV1Q0nNegHT5QJJf9hECiM7nJSbik=
+gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto v0.0.7-0.20210413184512-e41c09223958/go.mod h1:HMMRBuv/yMqB5c31G9OPlOAifOOqGypCyD5v6py+4vo=
 gitlab.com/elixxir/ekv v0.1.5 h1:R8M1PA5zRU1HVnTyrtwybdABh7gUJSCvt1JZwUSeTzk=
 gitlab.com/elixxir/ekv v0.1.5/go.mod h1:e6WPUt97taFZe5PFLPb1Dupk7tqmDCTQu1kkstqJvw4=
 gitlab.com/elixxir/primitives v0.0.0-20200731184040-494269b53b4d/go.mod h1:OQgUZq7SjnE0b+8+iIAT2eqQF+2IFHn73tOo+aV11mg=
diff --git a/network/message/handler.go b/network/message/handler.go
index 88484e6fb98672520bf3e39af0cd3175597b53b4..b8892cff56f51009558998fcd74b1fa027c4a712 100644
--- a/network/message/handler.go
+++ b/network/message/handler.go
@@ -48,14 +48,11 @@ func (m *Manager) handleMessage(ecrMsg format.Message, identity reception.Identi
 	var relationshipFingerprint []byte
 
 	//check if the identity fingerprint matches
-	forMe, err := fingerprint2.CheckIdentityFP(ecrMsg.GetIdentityFP(),
+	forMe := fingerprint2.CheckIdentityFP(ecrMsg.GetIdentityFP(),
 		ecrMsg.GetContents(), identity.Source)
-	if err != nil {
-		jww.FATAL.Panicf("Could not check IdentityFingerprint: %+v", err)
-	}
 	if !forMe {
 		if jww.GetLogThreshold() == jww.LevelTrace {
-			expectedFP, _ := fingerprint2.IdentityFP(ecrMsg.GetContents(),
+			expectedFP := fingerprint2.IdentityFP(ecrMsg.GetContents(),
 				identity.Source)
 			jww.TRACE.Printf("Message for %d (%s) failed identity "+
 				"check: %v (expected) vs %v (received)", identity.EphId,
diff --git a/network/message/sendCmix.go b/network/message/sendCmix.go
index 1aced6efe44eaef52f17a08392d4c52a8d6eae7c..7e0e0e633e6cd25b311262ed399ad9820930985a 100644
--- a/network/message/sendCmix.go
+++ b/network/message/sendCmix.go
@@ -108,13 +108,7 @@ func sendCmixHelper(msg format.Message, recipient *id.ID, param params.CMIX, ins
 		msg.SetEphemeralRID(ephIdFilled[:])
 
 		//set the identity fingerprint
-		ifp, err := fingerprint.IdentityFP(msg.GetContents(), recipient)
-		if err != nil {
-			jww.FATAL.Panicf("failed to generate the Identity "+
-				"fingerprint due to unrecoverable error when sending to %s "+
-				"(msgDigest: %s): %+v", recipient, msg.Digest(), err)
-		}
-
+		ifp := fingerprint.IdentityFP(msg.GetContents(), recipient)
 		msg.SetIdentityFP(ifp)
 
 		//build the topology