diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/xcontent/XContentTypeTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/xcontent/XContentTypeTests.java
index fa937f84d615c..7b18eaa2bad38 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/xcontent/XContentTypeTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/common/xcontent/XContentTypeTests.java
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ public void testFromRubbish() throws Exception {
     }
 
     public void testVersionedMediaType() {
-        String version = String.valueOf(Math.abs(randomByte()));
+        String version = String.valueOf(randomNonNegativeByte());
         assertThat(XContentType.fromMediaType("application/vnd.elasticsearch+json;compatible-with=" + version),
             equalTo(XContentType.JSON));
         assertThat(XContentType.fromMediaType("application/vnd.elasticsearch+cbor;compatible-with=" + version),
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ public void testVersionedMediaType() {
     }
 
     public void testVersionParsing() {
-        byte version = (byte) Math.abs(randomByte());
+        byte version = randomNonNegativeByte();
         assertThat(XContentType.parseVersion("application/vnd.elasticsearch+json;compatible-with=" + version),
             equalTo(version));
         assertThat(XContentType.parseVersion("application/vnd.elasticsearch+cbor;compatible-with=" + version),
@@ -146,12 +146,12 @@ public void testUnrecognizedParameter() {
             is(nullValue()));    }
 
     public void testMediaTypeWithoutESSubtype() {
-        String version = String.valueOf(Math.abs(randomByte()));
+        String version = String.valueOf(randomNonNegativeByte());
         assertThat(XContentType.fromMediaType("application/json;compatible-with=" + version), nullValue());
     }
 
     public void testAnchoring() {
-        String version = String.valueOf(Math.abs(randomByte()));
+        String version = String.valueOf(randomNonNegativeByte());
         assertThat(XContentType.fromMediaType("sth_application/json;compatible-with=" + version + ".0"), nullValue());
         assertThat(XContentType.fromMediaType("sth_application/json;compatible-with=" + version + "_sth"), nullValue());
         assertThat(XContentType.fromMediaType("application/json;compatible-with=" + version + "_sth"), nullValue());
diff --git a/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/ESTestCase.java b/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/ESTestCase.java
index efeec57cd20d6..9e0504fb5e8ff 100644
--- a/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/ESTestCase.java
+++ b/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/ESTestCase.java
@@ -608,6 +608,11 @@ public static byte randomByte() {
         return (byte) random().nextInt();
     }
 
+    public static byte randomNonNegativeByte() {
+        byte randomByte =  randomByte();
+        return (byte) (randomByte == Byte.MIN_VALUE ? 0 : Math.abs(randomByte));
+    }
+
     /**
      * Helper method to create a byte array of a given length populated with random byte values
      *