V6: Use of assert statement risks uncaught AssertionError #465

Description:
The code uses the assert statement, which throws an AssertionError (a subclass of Throwable, not Exception). Standard try...catch (Exception e) blocks will not catch this error. If an assertion fails and assertions are enabled at runtime, the uncaught AssertionError can propagate up, potentially terminating the service.

Root Cause:

• AssertionError is not caught by catch (Exception e).

Impact:

• If assertions are enabled in a production environment (intentionally or accidentally), a failing assertion can cause thread death or JVM termination.