IsUserInRole - NullPointerException

What are some of the reasons why a call to the IsUserInRole function would throw a java.lang.NullPointerException error?

Sample code:

<cfif isUserInRole("MyRole")>

    <cfinclude template="myTemplate.cfm">

</cfif>

Thanks,

Al

java.lang.NullPointerException at java.util.Hashtable.put(Hashtable.java:542) at coldfusion.runtime.SecurityScopeTracker.setSecurity(SecurityScopeTrac ker.java:235) at coldfusion.runtime.SecurityScopeTracker.getSecurity(SecurityScopeTrac ker.java:124) at coldfusion.runtime.SecurityScopeTracker.getSecurityTableFromSession(S ecurityScopeTracker.java:349) at coldfusion.security.UserUtils.getAuthMap(UserUtils.java:164) at coldfusion.security.UserUtils.cflogin_IsUserInRole(UserUtils.java:108 ) at coldfusion.security.UserUtils.isUserInRole(UserUtils.java:59) at coldfusion.runtime.CFPage.IsUserInRole(CFPage.java:994) at cfinc_header2ecfm1710894724.runPage(D:\webserve\intraweb\inc_header.c fm:55) at coldfusion.runtime.CfJspPage.invoke(CfJspPage.java:244) at coldfusion.tagext.lang.IncludeTag.doStartTag(IncludeTag.java:444) at coldfusion.runtime.CfJspPage._emptyTcfTag(CfJspPage.java:2799) at cfdsp_header2ecfm136240381.runPage(D:\webserve\intraweb\services\fufo \blocks\dsp_header.cfm:61) at coldfusion.runtime.CfJspPage.invoke(CfJspPage.java:244) at coldfusion.tagext.lang.IncludeTag.doStartTag(IncludeTag.java:444) at coldfusion.runtime.CfJspPage._emptyTcfTag(CfJspPage.java:2799) at cfindex2ecfm1831349043.runPage(D:\webserve\intraweb\services\fufo\ind ex.cfm:4) at coldfusion.runtime.CfJspPage.invoke(CfJspPage.java:244) at coldfusion.tagext.lang.IncludeTag.doStartTag(IncludeTag.java:444) at coldfusion.filter.CfincludeFilter.invoke(CfincludeFilter.java:65) at coldfusion.filter.IpFilter.invoke(IpFilter.java:64) at coldfusion.filter.ApplicationFilter.invoke(ApplicationFilter.java:449 ) at coldfusion.filter.RequestMonitorFilter.invoke(RequestMonitorFilter.ja va:48) at coldfusion.filter.MonitoringFilter.invoke(MonitoringFilter.java:40) at coldfusion.filter.PathFilter.invoke(PathFilter.java:112) at coldfusion.filter.ExceptionFilter.invoke(ExceptionFilter.java:94) at coldfusion.filter.BrowserDebugFilter.invoke(BrowserDebugFilter.java:7 9) at coldfusion.filter.ClientScopePersistenceFilter.invoke(ClientScopePers istenceFilter.java:28) at coldfusion.filter.BrowserFilter.invoke(BrowserFilter.java:38) at coldfusion.filter.NoCacheFilter.invoke(NoCacheFilter.java:46) at coldfusion.filter.GlobalsFilter.invoke(GlobalsFilter.java:38) at coldfusion.filter.DatasourceFilter.invoke(DatasourceFilter.java:22) at coldfusion.filter.CachingFilter.invoke(CachingFilter.java:62) at coldfusion.CfmServlet.service(CfmServlet.java:219) at coldfusion.bootstrap.BootstrapServlet.service(BootstrapServlet.java:8 9) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(Appl icationFilterChain.java:305) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationF ilterChain.java:210) at coldfusion.monitor.event.MonitoringServletFilter.doFilter(MonitoringS ervletFilter.java:42) at coldfusion.bootstrap.BootstrapFilter.doFilter(BootstrapFilter.java:46 ) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(Appl icationFilterChain.java:243) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationF ilterChain.java:210) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperV alve.java:224) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextV alve.java:169) at org.apache.catalina.authenticator.AuthenticatorBase.invoke(Authentica torBase.java:472) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.j ava:168) at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.j ava:98) at org.apache.catalina.valves.AccessLogValve.invoke(AccessLogValve.java: 928) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineVal ve.java:118) at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.jav a:414) at org.apache.coyote.ajp.AjpProcessor.process(AjpProcessor.java:204) at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProtocol$AbstractConnectionHandler.process( AbstractProtocol.java:539) at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.JIoEndpoint$SocketProcessor.run(JIoEndpoin t.java:298) at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor. java:1145) at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor .java:615) at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:722)