diff --git a/cli/kata-env_test.go b/cli/kata-env_test.go
index 966b818bc6..a3b6a5970a 100644
--- a/cli/kata-env_test.go
+++ b/cli/kata-env_test.go
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@ func TestEnvGetHostInfoNoOSRelease(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 
 	_, err = getHostInfo()
-	assert.Error(t, err)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
 }
 
 func TestEnvGetHostInfoNoProcVersion(t *testing.T) {
@@ -600,7 +600,7 @@ func TestEnvGetEnvInfoNoOSRelease(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 
 	_, err = getEnvInfo(configFile, config)
-	assert.Error(t, err)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
 }
 
 func TestEnvGetEnvInfoNoProcCPUInfo(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/cli/utils.go b/cli/utils.go
index 7252d20e3c..cc996ca3a1 100644
--- a/cli/utils.go
+++ b/cli/utils.go
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ func getKernelVersion() (string, error) {
 // returned.
 func getDistroDetails() (name, version string, err error) {
 	files := []string{osRelease, osReleaseClr}
+	name = ""
+	version = ""
 
 	for _, file := range files {
 		contents, err := katautils.GetFileContents(file)
@@ -62,10 +64,10 @@ func getDistroDetails() (name, version string, err error) {
 		lines := strings.Split(contents, "\n")
 
 		for _, line := range lines {
-			if strings.HasPrefix(line, "NAME=") {
+			if strings.HasPrefix(line, "NAME=") && name == "" {
 				fields := strings.Split(line, "=")
 				name = strings.Trim(fields[1], `"`)
-			} else if strings.HasPrefix(line, "VERSION_ID=") {
+			} else if strings.HasPrefix(line, "VERSION_ID=") && version == "" {
 				fields := strings.Split(line, "=")
 				version = strings.Trim(fields[1], `"`)
 			}
@@ -76,7 +78,15 @@ func getDistroDetails() (name, version string, err error) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	return "", "", fmt.Errorf("failed to find expected fields in one of %v", files)
+	if name == "" {
+		name = unknown
+	}
+
+	if version == "" {
+		version = unknown
+	}
+
+	return name, version, nil
 }
 
 // genericGetCPUDetails returns the vendor and model of the CPU.
diff --git a/cli/utils_test.go b/cli/utils_test.go
index 65c720f85d..7fa028b57e 100644
--- a/cli/utils_test.go
+++ b/cli/utils_test.go
@@ -101,6 +101,8 @@ func TestGetDistroDetails(t *testing.T) {
 		expectError     bool
 	}
 
+	const unknown = "<<unknown>>"
+
 	tmpdir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "")
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
@@ -144,11 +146,11 @@ VERSION_ID="%s"
 
 	_, _, err = getDistroDetails()
 	// ENOENT
-	assert.Error(t, err)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
 
 	data := []testData{
-		{"", "", "", "", true},
-		{"invalid", "", "", "", true},
+		{"", "", unknown, unknown, false},
+		{"invalid", "", unknown, unknown, false},
 		{clrContents, "", clrExpectedName, clrExpectedVersion, false},
 		{"", nonClrContents, nonClrExpectedName, nonClrExpectedVersion, false},
 		{clrContents, nonClrContents, nonClrExpectedName, nonClrExpectedVersion, false},