#vulnerable code 
                                protected ConfigurationSource getInputFromString(final String config, final ClassLoader loader) {
        try {
            final URL url = new URL(config);
            return new ConfigurationSource(url.openStream(), FileUtils.fileFromURI(url.toURI()));
        } catch (final Exception ex) {
            final ConfigurationSource source = getInputFromResource(config, loader);
            if (source == null) {
                try {
                    final File file = new File(config);
                    return new ConfigurationSource(new FileInputStream(file), file);
                } catch (final FileNotFoundException fnfe) {
                    // Ignore the exception
                    LOGGER.catching(Level.DEBUG, fnfe);
                }
            }
            return source;
        }
    } 
                            #location 4 
                            #vulnerability type NULL_DEREFERENCE
#fixed code
                                protected ConfigurationSource getInputFromString(final String config, final ClassLoader loader) {
        try {
            final URL url = new URL(config);
            return new ConfigurationSource(url.openStream(), FileUtils.fileFromUri(url.toURI()));
        } catch (final Exception ex) {
            final ConfigurationSource source = getInputFromResource(config, loader);
            if (source == null) {
                try {
                    final File file = new File(config);
                    return new ConfigurationSource(new FileInputStream(file), file);
                } catch (final FileNotFoundException fnfe) {
                    // Ignore the exception
                    LOGGER.catching(Level.DEBUG, fnfe);
                }
            }
            return source;
        }
    }