diff --git a/src/tests/backend/assert-legacy.js b/src/tests/backend/assert-legacy.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b3760da9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/backend/assert-legacy.js
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+'use strict';
+// support for older node versions (<12)
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+const internalMatch = (string, regexp, message, fn) => {
+  if (!regexp.test) {
+    throw new Error('regexp parameter is not a RegExp');
+  }
+  if (typeof string !== 'string') {
+    throw new Error('string parameter is not a string');
+  }
+  const match = fn.name === 'match';
+
+  const result = string.match(regexp);
+  if (match && !result) {
+    if (message) {
+      throw message;
+    } else {
+      throw new Error(`${string} does not match regex ${regexp}`);
+    }
+  }
+  if (!match && result) {
+    if (message) {
+      throw message;
+    } else {
+      throw new Error(`${string} does match regex ${regexp}`);
+    }
+  }
+};
+
+
+if (!assert.match) {
+  const match = (string, regexp, message) => {
+    internalMatch(string, regexp, message, match);
+  };
+  assert.match = match;
+}
+if (!assert.strict.match) assert.strict.match = assert.match;
+
+if (!assert.doesNotMatch) {
+  const doesNotMatch = (string, regexp, message) => {
+    internalMatch(string, regexp, message, doesNotMatch);
+  };
+  assert.doesNotMatch = doesNotMatch;
+}
+if (!assert.strict.doesNotMatch) assert.strict.doesNotMatch = assert.doesNotMatch;
+
+module.exports = assert;
diff --git a/src/tests/backend/specs/caching_middleware.js b/src/tests/backend/specs/caching_middleware.js
index a40ada7d8..e3eef98b7 100644
--- a/src/tests/backend/specs/caching_middleware.js
+++ b/src/tests/backend/specs/caching_middleware.js
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  */
 
 const common = require('../common');
-const assert = require('assert').strict;
+const assert = require('../assert-legacy').strict;
 const queryString = require('querystring');
 const settings = require('../../../node/utils/Settings');
 
diff --git a/src/tests/backend/specs/hooks.js b/src/tests/backend/specs/hooks.js
index 9dbf6974b..e601c9344 100644
--- a/src/tests/backend/specs/hooks.js
+++ b/src/tests/backend/specs/hooks.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 'use strict';
 
-const assert = require('assert').strict;
+const assert = require('../assert-legacy').strict;
 const hooks = require('../../../static/js/pluginfw/hooks');
 const plugins = require('../../../static/js/pluginfw/plugin_defs');
 const sinon = require('sinon');