diff --git a/src/common/core/core.js b/src/common/core/core.js
index 80d87f478..24e097d2f 100644
--- a/src/common/core/core.js
+++ b/src/common/core/core.js
@@ -2519,6 +2519,10 @@ define([
             ensureType(name, 'name', 'string');
             ensureValue(value, 'value');
 
+            if (core.getValidAttributeNames(node).indexOf(name) === -1) {
+                throw new CoreIllegalOperationError('Not a valid attribute name [' + name + '] of the node.');
+            }
+
             return core.isValidAttributeValueOf(node, name, value);
         };
 
@@ -4113,7 +4117,7 @@ define([
             ensureNode(node, 'node');
             ensureType(name, 'name', 'string');
 
-            if ((core.getValidAttributeNames(node) || []).indexOf(name) === -1) {
+            if (core.getValidAttributeNames(node).indexOf(name) === -1) {
                 throw new CoreIllegalOperationError('Not a valid attribute name [' + name + '] of the node.');
             }
 
diff --git a/test/common/core/core.spec.js b/test/common/core/core.spec.js
index cafd45169..907dbc124 100644
--- a/test/common/core/core.spec.js
+++ b/test/common/core/core.spec.js
@@ -2889,7 +2889,16 @@ describe('core', function () {
         }
 
         try {
-            core.isValidAttributeValueOf(rootNode, 'attr', undefined);
+            core.isValidAttributeValueOf(rootNode, 'name', undefined);
+        } catch (e) {
+            myError = e;
+        } finally {
+            expect(myError.name).to.eql('CoreIllegalArgumentError');
+            myError = null;
+        }
+
+        try {
+            core.isValidAttributeValueOf(rootNode, 'nonexisting', undefined);
         } catch (e) {
             myError = e;
         } finally {