diff --git a/airbyte/_connector_base.py b/airbyte/_connector_base.py
index 66adde6c..96ed396c 100644
--- a/airbyte/_connector_base.py
+++ b/airbyte/_connector_base.py
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ def validate_config(self, config: dict[str, Any] | None = None) -> None:
         If config is not provided, the already-set config will be validated.
         """
         spec = self._get_spec(force_refresh=False)
-        config = hydrate_secrets(config) if config else self._hydrated_config
+        config = hydrate_secrets(config) if config is not None else self._hydrated_config
 
         try:
             jsonschema.validate(config, spec.connectionSpecification)