diff --git a/src/XCCDF/xccdf_session.c b/src/XCCDF/xccdf_session.c
index 5ec127be68..c4a391d39d 100644
--- a/src/XCCDF/xccdf_session.c
+++ b/src/XCCDF/xccdf_session.c
@@ -945,6 +945,7 @@ int xccdf_session_load_cpe(struct xccdf_session *session)
 	}
 
 	if (xccdf_session_is_sds(session)) {
+		_connect_cpe_session_with_sds(session);
 		struct ds_sds_index *sds_idx = xccdf_session_get_sds_idx(session);
 		if (sds_idx == NULL) {
 			return -1;
@@ -963,7 +964,6 @@ int xccdf_session_load_cpe(struct xccdf_session *session)
 				oscap_string_iterator_free(cpe_it);
 				return 1;
 			}
-			_connect_cpe_session_with_sds(session);
 			while (oscap_string_iterator_has_more(cpe_it)) {
 				const char* cpe_filename = oscap_string_iterator_next(cpe_it);
 
diff --git a/tests/DS/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/DS/CMakeLists.txt
index 11f74a19b0..944e4bc943 100644
--- a/tests/DS/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/DS/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@ add_subdirectory("schematron")
 add_subdirectory("sds_detect_version")
 add_subdirectory("signed")
 add_subdirectory("validate")
+add_subdirectory("ds_without_cpe_dict")
diff --git a/tests/DS/ds_without_cpe_dict/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/DS/ds_without_cpe_dict/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..11fb4cd041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/DS/ds_without_cpe_dict/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+add_oscap_test("ds_without_cpe_dict.sh")
diff --git a/tests/DS/ds_without_cpe_dict/ds_without_cpe_dict.sh b/tests/DS/ds_without_cpe_dict/ds_without_cpe_dict.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..429bc954fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/DS/ds_without_cpe_dict/ds_without_cpe_dict.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+. $builddir/tests/test_common.sh
+set -e -o pipefail
+
+stdout=$(mktemp)
+stderr=$(mktemp)
+$OSCAP xccdf eval --progress $srcdir/ds_without_cpe_dict.xml > $stdout 2> $stderr
+[ -e $stderr ]
+grep -q "xccdf_moc.elpmaxe.www_rule_1:pass" $stdout
+! grep -q "xccdf_moc.elpmaxe.www_rule_1:notapplicable" $stdout
+! grep -q "Can't import OVAL definition model 'cpe-oval.xml' for CPE applicability checking" $stderr
+rm -rf $stdout $stderr
diff --git a/tests/DS/ds_without_cpe_dict/ds_without_cpe_dict.xml b/tests/DS/ds_without_cpe_dict/ds_without_cpe_dict.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..451f7ba410
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/DS/ds_without_cpe_dict/ds_without_cpe_dict.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+<ds:data-stream-collection xmlns:ds="http://scap.nist.gov/schema/scap/source/1.2" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:cat="urn:oasis:names:tc:entity:xmlns:xml:catalog" id="scap_org.open-scap_collection_from_xccdf_xccdf.xml.xml" schematron-version="1.3">
+  <ds:data-stream id="scap_org.open-scap_datastream_from_xccdf_xccdf.xml.xml" scap-version="1.3" use-case="OTHER">
+    <ds:checklists>
+      <ds:component-ref id="scap_org.open-scap_cref_xccdf.xml.xml" xlink:href="#scap_org.open-scap_comp_xccdf.xml.xml">
+        <cat:catalog>
+          <cat:uri name="oval.xml" uri="#scap_org.open-scap_cref_oval.xml"/>
+          <cat:uri name="cpe-oval.xml" uri="#scap_org.open-scap_cref_cpe-oval.xml"/>
+        </cat:catalog>
+      </ds:component-ref>
+    </ds:checklists>
+    <ds:checks>
+      <ds:component-ref id="scap_org.open-scap_cref_oval.xml" xlink:href="#scap_org.open-scap_comp_oval.xml"/>
+      <ds:component-ref id="scap_org.open-scap_cref_cpe-oval.xml" xlink:href="#scap_org.open-scap_comp_cpe-oval.xml"/>
+    </ds:checks>
+  </ds:data-stream>
+  <ds:component id="scap_org.open-scap_comp_oval.xml" timestamp="2023-03-22T10:30:34">
+    <oval_definitions xmlns:oval-def="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5" xmlns:oval="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-common-5" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:ind-def="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#independent" xmlns:unix-def="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#unix" xmlns:lin-def="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#linux" xmlns="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5" xsi:schemaLocation="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#unix unix-definitions-schema.xsd http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#independent independent-definitions-schema.xsd http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#linux linux-definitions-schema.xsd http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5 oval-definitions-schema.xsd http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-common-5 oval-common-schema.xsd">
+      <generator>
+        <oval:schema_version>5.11.1</oval:schema_version>
+        <oval:timestamp>0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00</oval:timestamp>
+      </generator>
+      <definitions>
+        <definition class="compliance" version="1" id="oval:x:def:1">
+          <metadata>
+            <title>x</title>
+            <description>x</description>
+            <affected family="unix">
+              <platform>x</platform>
+            </affected>
+          </metadata>
+          <criteria comment="x" operator="OR">
+            <criterion test_ref="oval:x:tst:1" comment="always pass"/>
+          </criteria>
+        </definition>
+      </definitions>
+      <tests>
+        <variable_test xmlns="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#independent" id="oval:x:tst:1" check="all" comment="always pass" version="1">
+          <object object_ref="oval:x:obj:1"/>
+        </variable_test>
+      </tests>
+      <objects>
+        <variable_object xmlns="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#independent" id="oval:x:obj:1" version="1" comment="x">
+          <var_ref>oval:x:var:1</var_ref>
+        </variable_object>
+      </objects>
+      <variables>
+        <constant_variable id="oval:x:var:1" version="1" comment="x" datatype="string">
+          <value>x</value>
+        </constant_variable>
+      </variables>
+    </oval_definitions>
+  </ds:component>
+  <ds:component id="scap_org.open-scap_comp_cpe-oval.xml" timestamp="2023-03-22T10:30:34">
+    <oval_definitions xmlns:oval-def="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5" xmlns:oval="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-common-5" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:ind-def="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#independent" xmlns:unix-def="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#unix" xmlns:lin-def="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#linux" xmlns="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5" xsi:schemaLocation="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#unix unix-definitions-schema.xsd http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#independent independent-definitions-schema.xsd http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#linux linux-definitions-schema.xsd http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5 oval-definitions-schema.xsd http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-common-5 oval-common-schema.xsd">
+      <generator>
+        <oval:schema_version>5.11.1</oval:schema_version>
+        <oval:timestamp>0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00</oval:timestamp>
+      </generator>
+      <definitions>
+        <definition class="compliance" version="1" id="oval:my_custom_platform:def:2">
+          <metadata>
+            <title>x</title>
+            <description>x</description>
+            <affected family="unix">
+              <platform>x</platform>
+            </affected>
+          </metadata>
+          <criteria comment="x" operator="AND">
+            <criterion test_ref="oval:x:tst:2" comment="always pass"/>
+          </criteria>
+        </definition>
+      </definitions>
+      <tests>
+        <variable_test xmlns="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#independent" id="oval:x:tst:2" check="all" check_existence="any_exist" comment="always pass" version="1">
+          <object object_ref="oval:x:obj:1"/>
+        </variable_test>
+      </tests>
+      <objects>
+        <variable_object xmlns="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5#independent" id="oval:x:obj:1" version="1" comment="x">
+          <var_ref>oval:x:var:1</var_ref>
+        </variable_object>
+      </objects>
+      <variables>
+        <constant_variable id="oval:x:var:1" version="1" comment="x" datatype="string">
+          <value>x</value>
+        </constant_variable>
+      </variables>
+    </oval_definitions>
+  </ds:component>
+  <ds:component id="scap_org.open-scap_comp_xccdf.xml.xml" timestamp="2023-03-22T10:30:43">
+    <Benchmark xmlns="http://checklists.nist.gov/xccdf/1.2" xmlns:cpe2="http://cpe.mitre.org/language/2.0" id="xccdf_moc.elpmaxe.www_benchmark_test">
+      <status>incomplete</status>
+      <cpe2:platform-specification>
+        <cpe2:platform id="platform1">
+          <cpe2:title xml:lang="en-US">Test Platform 1</cpe2:title>
+          <cpe2:logical-test operator="OR" negate="false">
+            <cpe2:check-fact-ref system="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5" href="cpe-oval.xml" id-ref="oval:my_custom_platform:def:2"/>
+          </cpe2:logical-test>
+        </cpe2:platform>
+      </cpe2:platform-specification>
+      <version>1.0</version>
+      <Rule selected="true" id="xccdf_moc.elpmaxe.www_rule_1">
+        <title>Test Rule</title>
+        <platform idref="#platform1"/>
+        <check system="http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval-definitions-5">
+          <check-content-ref href="oval.xml" name="oval:x:def:1"/>
+        </check>
+      </Rule>
+    </Benchmark>
+  </ds:component>
+</ds:data-stream-collection>