diff --git a/src/agent/rustjail/src/container.rs b/src/agent/rustjail/src/container.rs
index d716c5344d..c3df3c1c2c 100644
--- a/src/agent/rustjail/src/container.rs
+++ b/src/agent/rustjail/src/container.rs
@@ -636,11 +636,10 @@ fn do_init_child(cwfd: RawFd) -> Result<()> {
 
     // setup the envs
     for e in env.iter() {
-        let v: Vec<&str> = e.splitn(2, '=').collect();
-        if v.len() != 2 {
-            continue;
+        match valid_env(e) {
+            Some((key, value)) => env::set_var(key, value),
+            None => log_child!(cfd_log, "invalid env key-value: {:?}", e),
         }
-        env::set_var(v[0], v[1]);
     }
 
     // set the "HOME" env getting from "/etc/passwd", if
@@ -1479,15 +1478,15 @@ async fn execute_hook(logger: &Logger, h: &Hook, st: &OCIState) -> Result<()> {
         return Err(anyhow!(nix::Error::from_errno(Errno::EINVAL)));
     }
 
-    let args = h.args.clone();
-    let env: HashMap<String, String> = h
-        .env
-        .iter()
-        .map(|e| {
-            let v: Vec<&str> = e.split('=').collect();
-            (v[0].to_string(), v[1].to_string())
-        })
-        .collect();
+    let mut args = h.args.clone();
+    // the hook.args[0] is the hook binary name which shouldn't be included
+    // in the Command.args
+    if args.len() > 1 {
+        args.remove(0);
+    }
+
+    // all invalid envs will be omitted, only valid envs will be passed to hook.
+    let env: HashMap<&str, &str> = h.env.iter().filter_map(|e| valid_env(e)).collect();
 
     // Avoid the exit signal to be reaped by the global reaper.
     let _wait_locker = WAIT_PID_LOCKER.lock().await;
@@ -1498,8 +1497,7 @@ async fn execute_hook(logger: &Logger, h: &Hook, st: &OCIState) -> Result<()> {
         .stdin(Stdio::piped())
         .stdout(Stdio::piped())
         .stderr(Stdio::piped())
-        .spawn()
-        .unwrap();
+        .spawn()?;
 
     // default timeout 10s
     let mut timeout: u64 = 10;
@@ -1515,27 +1513,39 @@ async fn execute_hook(logger: &Logger, h: &Hook, st: &OCIState) -> Result<()> {
     let path = h.path.clone();
 
     let join_handle = tokio::spawn(async move {
-        child
-            .stdin
-            .as_mut()
-            .unwrap()
-            .write_all(state.as_bytes())
-            .await
-            .unwrap();
+        if let Some(mut stdin) = child.stdin.take() {
+            match stdin.write_all(state.as_bytes()).await {
+                Ok(_) => {}
+                Err(e) => {
+                    info!(logger, "write to child stdin failed: {:?}", e);
+                }
+            }
+        }
 
-        // Close stdin so that hook program could receive EOF
-        child.stdin.take();
+        // read something from stdout and stderr for debug
+        if let Some(stdout) = child.stdout.as_mut() {
+            let mut out = String::new();
+            match stdout.read_to_string(&mut out).await {
+                Ok(_) => {
+                    info!(logger, "child stdout: {}", out.as_str());
+                }
+                Err(e) => {
+                    info!(logger, "read from child stdout failed: {:?}", e);
+                }
+            }
+        }
 
-        // read something from stdout for debug
-        let mut out = String::new();
-        child
-            .stdout
-            .as_mut()
-            .unwrap()
-            .read_to_string(&mut out)
-            .await
-            .unwrap();
-        info!(logger, "child stdout: {}", out.as_str());
+        let mut err = String::new();
+        if let Some(stderr) = child.stderr.as_mut() {
+            match stderr.read_to_string(&mut err).await {
+                Ok(_) => {
+                    info!(logger, "child stderr: {}", err.as_str());
+                }
+                Err(e) => {
+                    info!(logger, "read from child stderr failed: {:?}", e);
+                }
+            }
+        }
 
         match child.wait().await {
             Ok(exit) => {
@@ -1544,7 +1554,10 @@ async fn execute_hook(logger: &Logger, h: &Hook, st: &OCIState) -> Result<()> {
                     .ok_or_else(|| anyhow!("hook exit status has no status code"))?;
 
                 if code != 0 {
-                    error!(logger, "hook {} exit status is {}", &path, code);
+                    error!(
+                        logger,
+                        "hook {} exit status is {}, error message is {}", &path, code, err
+                    );
                     return Err(anyhow!(nix::Error::from_errno(Errno::UnknownErrno)));
                 }
 
@@ -1565,6 +1578,30 @@ async fn execute_hook(logger: &Logger, h: &Hook, st: &OCIState) -> Result<()> {
     }
 }
 
+// valid environment variables according to https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/env/fn.set_var.html#panics
+fn valid_env(e: &str) -> Option<(&str, &str)> {
+    // wherther key or value will contain NULL char.
+    if e.as_bytes().contains(&b'\0') {
+        return None;
+    }
+
+    let v: Vec<&str> = e.splitn(2, '=').collect();
+
+    // key can't hold an `equal` sign, but value can
+    if v.len() != 2 {
+        return None;
+    }
+
+    let (key, value) = (v[0].trim(), v[1].trim());
+
+    // key can't be empty
+    if key.is_empty() {
+        return None;
+    }
+
+    Some((key, value))
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
@@ -1597,13 +1634,47 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn test_execute_hook() {
-        let xargs = which("xargs").await;
+        let temp_file = "/tmp/test_execute_hook";
+
+        let touch = which("touch").await;
+
+        defer!(fs::remove_file(temp_file).unwrap(););
+        let invalid_str = vec![97, b'\0', 98];
+        let invalid_string = std::str::from_utf8(&invalid_str).unwrap();
+        let invalid_env = format!("{}=value", invalid_string);
 
         execute_hook(
             &slog_scope::logger(),
             &Hook {
-                path: xargs,
-                args: vec![],
+                path: touch,
+                args: vec!["touch".to_string(), temp_file.to_string()],
+                env: vec![invalid_env],
+                timeout: Some(10),
+            },
+            &OCIState {
+                version: "1.2.3".to_string(),
+                id: "321".to_string(),
+                status: ContainerState::Running,
+                pid: 2,
+                bundle: "".to_string(),
+                annotations: Default::default(),
+            },
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(Path::new(&temp_file).exists(), true);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_execute_hook_with_error() {
+        let ls = which("ls").await;
+
+        let res = execute_hook(
+            &slog_scope::logger(),
+            &Hook {
+                path: ls,
+                args: vec!["ls".to_string(), "/tmp/not-exist".to_string()],
                 env: vec![],
                 timeout: None,
             },
@@ -1616,8 +1687,13 @@ mod tests {
                 annotations: Default::default(),
             },
         )
-        .await
-        .unwrap()
+        .await;
+
+        let expected_err = nix::Error::from_errno(Errno::UnknownErrno);
+        assert_eq!(
+            res.unwrap_err().downcast::<nix::Error>().unwrap(),
+            expected_err
+        );
     }
 
     #[tokio::test]
@@ -1628,7 +1704,7 @@ mod tests {
             &slog_scope::logger(),
             &Hook {
                 path: sleep,
-                args: vec!["2".to_string()],
+                args: vec!["sleep".to_string(), "2".to_string()],
                 env: vec![],
                 timeout: Some(1),
             },
@@ -1988,4 +2064,49 @@ mod tests {
         let ret = do_init_child(std::io::stdin().as_raw_fd());
         assert!(ret.is_err(), "Expecting Err, Got {:?}", ret);
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_valid_env() {
+        let env = valid_env("a=b=c");
+        assert_eq!(Some(("a", "b=c")), env);
+
+        let env = valid_env("a=b");
+        assert_eq!(Some(("a", "b")), env);
+        let env = valid_env("a =b");
+        assert_eq!(Some(("a", "b")), env);
+
+        let env = valid_env(" a =b");
+        assert_eq!(Some(("a", "b")), env);
+
+        let env = valid_env("a= b");
+        assert_eq!(Some(("a", "b")), env);
+
+        let env = valid_env("a=b ");
+        assert_eq!(Some(("a", "b")), env);
+        let env = valid_env("a=b c ");
+        assert_eq!(Some(("a", "b c")), env);
+
+        let env = valid_env("=b");
+        assert_eq!(None, env);
+
+        let env = valid_env("a=");
+        assert_eq!(Some(("a", "")), env);
+
+        let env = valid_env("a==");
+        assert_eq!(Some(("a", "=")), env);
+
+        let env = valid_env("a");
+        assert_eq!(None, env);
+
+        let invalid_str = vec![97, b'\0', 98];
+        let invalid_string = std::str::from_utf8(&invalid_str).unwrap();
+
+        let invalid_env = format!("{}=value", invalid_string);
+        let env = valid_env(&invalid_env);
+        assert_eq!(None, env);
+
+        let invalid_env = format!("key={}", invalid_string);
+        let env = valid_env(&invalid_env);
+        assert_eq!(None, env);
+    }
 }