diff --git a/lib/errors.ts b/lib/errors.ts
index 695e23b3..f399ae7e 100644
--- a/lib/errors.ts
+++ b/lib/errors.ts
@@ -219,7 +219,12 @@ async function sentryCaptureException(error: Error) {
 	}
 }
 
-export async function handleError(error: Error) {
+export async function handleError(error: Error | string) {
+	// If a module has thrown a string, convert to error
+	if (typeof error === 'string') {
+		error = new Error(error);
+	}
+
 	// Set appropriate exitCode
 	process.exitCode =
 		(error as BalenaError).exitCode === 0
diff --git a/tests/errors.spec.ts b/tests/errors.spec.ts
index a0965a22..b6ffd320 100644
--- a/tests/errors.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/errors.spec.ts
@@ -99,6 +99,18 @@ describe('handleError() function', () => {
 		expect(printExpectedErrorMessage.notCalled);
 	});
 
+	it('should process thrown strings correctly', async () => {
+		const error = 'an thrown string';
+		await ErrorsModule.handleError(error);
+
+		expect(printErrorMessage.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+		expect(printErrorMessage.getCall(0).args[0]).to.equal(error);
+		expect(captureException.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+		expect(processExit.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+
+		expect(printExpectedErrorMessage.notCalled);
+	});
+
 	it('should process unexpected errors correctly (debug)', async () => {
 		sandbox.stub(process, 'env').value({ DEBUG: true });