diff --git a/pkg/storage/stores/local/downloads.go b/pkg/storage/stores/local/downloads.go
index c4b8542098ecc..69eb55b23f7a9 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/stores/local/downloads.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/stores/local/downloads.go
@@ -29,7 +29,10 @@ func (fc *FilesCollection) checkStorageForUpdates(ctx context.Context) (toDownlo
 
 	fc.mtx.RLock()
 	for _, object := range objects {
-		uploader := strings.Split(object.Key, "/")[1]
+		uploader, err := getUploaderFromObjectKey(object.Key)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, nil, err
+		}
 		listedUploaders[uploader] = struct{}{}
 
 		// Checking whether file was updated in the store after we downloaded it, if not, no need to include it in updates
@@ -81,14 +84,17 @@ func (fc *FilesCollection) Sync(ctx context.Context) error {
 
 // It first downloads file to a temp location so that we close the existing file(if already exists), replace it with new one and then reopen it.
 func (fc *FilesCollection) downloadFile(ctx context.Context, storageObject chunk.StorageObject) error {
-	uploader := strings.Split(storageObject.Key, "/")[1]
+	uploader, err := getUploaderFromObjectKey(storageObject.Key)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	folderPath, _ := fc.getFolderPathForPeriod(false)
 	filePath := path.Join(folderPath, uploader)
 
 	// download the file temporarily with some other name to allow boltdb client to close the existing file first if it exists
 	tempFilePath := path.Join(folderPath, fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s", uploader, "temp"))
 
-	err := fc.getFileFromStorage(ctx, storageObject.Key, tempFilePath)
+	err = fc.getFileFromStorage(ctx, storageObject.Key, tempFilePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -185,7 +191,11 @@ func (fc *FilesCollection) downloadAllFilesForPeriod(ctx context.Context) (err e
 	}
 
 	for _, object := range objects {
-		uploader := getUploaderFromObjectKey(object.Key)
+		var uploader string
+		uploader, err = getUploaderFromObjectKey(object.Key)
+		if err != nil {
+			return
+		}
 
 		filePath := path.Join(folderPath, uploader)
 		df := downloadedFile{}
@@ -232,6 +242,13 @@ func (fc *FilesCollection) getFolderPathForPeriod(ensureExists bool) (string, er
 	return folderPath, nil
 }
 
-func getUploaderFromObjectKey(objectKey string) string {
-	return strings.Split(objectKey, "/")[1]
+func getUploaderFromObjectKey(objectKey string) (string, error) {
+	uploaders := strings.Split(objectKey, "/")
+	if len(uploaders) != 2 {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("invalid object key: %v", objectKey)
+	}
+	if uploaders[1] == "" {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("empty uploader, object key: %v", objectKey)
+	}
+	return uploaders[1], nil
 }