diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows.yml b/.github/workflows/windows.yml
index d62a066420..75df6b75c5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/windows.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows.yml
@@ -574,13 +574,13 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       matrix:
         include:
-          - name: 'schannel +analyzer'  # mingw-w64 12.0
+          - name: 'schannel +analyzer'  # mingw-w64 14.0
             sys: 'mingw64'
             dir: 'w64devkit'
             env: 'x86_64'
-            ver: '15.1.0'
-            url: 'https://github.com/skeeto/w64devkit/releases/download/v2.2.0/w64devkit-x64-2.2.0.7z.exe'
-            SHA256: e02de30b97196329662007d64bc4509fbd7f5e14339d344075c7f1223dead4a2
+            ver: '16.1.0'
+            url: 'https://github.com/skeeto/w64devkit/releases/download/v2.8.0/w64devkit-x64-2.8.0.7z.exe'
+            SHA256: 6252bf34fe2231a55ac7f03d482b36d2c7c58697990551bba508102cfb3f342e
             config: '-DENABLE_DEBUG=ON -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF -DCURL_USE_SCHANNEL=ON -DENABLE_UNICODE=OFF -DENABLE_UNIX_SOCKETS=OFF -DCURL_GCC_ANALYZER=ON'
             type: 'Release'
           - name: 'schannel'  # mingw-w64 10.0
diff --git a/lib/multi.c b/lib/multi.c
index 216a264a52..1948bbda77 100644
--- a/lib/multi.c
+++ b/lib/multi.c
@@ -1707,9 +1707,13 @@ CURLMcode curl_multi_wakeup(CURLM *m)
  */
 static bool multi_ischanged(struct Curl_multi *multi, bool clear)
 {
-  bool retval = (bool)multi->recheckstate;
-  if(clear)
-    multi->recheckstate = FALSE;
+  bool retval = FALSE;
+  DEBUGASSERT(multi);
+  if(multi) {
+    retval = (bool)multi->recheckstate;
+    if(clear)
+      multi->recheckstate = FALSE;
+  }
   return retval;
 }
 
@@ -4126,6 +4130,9 @@ struct Curl_easy *Curl_multi_get_easy(struct Curl_multi *multi,
 
 unsigned int Curl_multi_xfers_running(struct Curl_multi *multi)
 {
+  DEBUGASSERT(multi);
+  if(!multi)
+    return 0;
   return multi->xfers_alive;
 }