diff --git a/internal/reflect/decoder.go b/internal/reflect/decoder.go
index a79cd5a..d7fbf8b 100644
--- a/internal/reflect/decoder.go
+++ b/internal/reflect/decoder.go
@@ -161,7 +161,28 @@ func decodeFixedSizeTypes(t ttype, b []byte, p unsafe.Pointer) int {
 	}
 }
 
+// minWireSize is the minimum number of bytes a value of a given wire type takes
+// in Thrift binary encoding. It is used while decoding to reject corrupted
+// container/string lengths that can not possibly fit in the remaining buffer,
+// before allocating memory for them.
+var minWireSize = [256]int8{
+	tBOOL:   1,
+	tBYTE:   1,
+	tI16:    2,
+	tI32:    4,
+	tI64:    8,
+	tDOUBLE: 8,
+	tSTRING: 4, // length header only, content may be empty
+	tSTRUCT: 1, // tSTOP only
+	tMAP:    6, // header only, may hold zero entries
+	tSET:    5, // header only, may hold zero elements
+	tLIST:   5, // header only, may hold zero elements
+}
+
 func decodeStringNoCopy(t *tType, b []byte, p unsafe.Pointer) (i int, err error) {
+	if len(b) < strHeaderLen {
+		return 0, io.ErrShortBuffer
+	}
 	l := int(int32(binary.BigEndian.Uint32(b)))
 	if l < 0 {
 		err = errNegativeSize
@@ -177,8 +198,8 @@ func decodeStringNoCopy(t *tType, b []byte, p unsafe.Pointer) (i int, err error)
 		return
 	}
 
-	if i+l-1 >= len(b) {
-		return i, io.ErrShortBuffer
+	if l > len(b)-i {
+		return i, newSizeExceedsBufferException(l, len(b)-i)
 	}
 
 	if t.Tag == defs.T_binary {
@@ -199,6 +220,9 @@ func (d *tDecoder) decodeType(t *tType, b []byte, p unsafe.Pointer, maxdepth int
 	}
 	switch t.T {
 	case tSTRING:
+		if len(b) < strHeaderLen {
+			return 0, io.ErrShortBuffer
+		}
 		l := int(int32(binary.BigEndian.Uint32(b)))
 		if l < 0 {
 			return 0, errNegativeSize
@@ -213,8 +237,8 @@ func (d *tDecoder) decodeType(t *tType, b []byte, p unsafe.Pointer, maxdepth int
 			return i, nil
 		}
 
-		if i+l-1 >= len(b) {
-			return i, io.ErrShortBuffer
+		if l > len(b)-i {
+			return i, newSizeExceedsBufferException(l, len(b)-i)
 		}
 
 		x := d.Malloc(l, 1, 0)
@@ -229,6 +253,9 @@ func (d *tDecoder) decodeType(t *tType, b []byte, p unsafe.Pointer, maxdepth int
 
 	case tMAP:
 		// map header
+		if len(b) < mapHeaderLen {
+			return 0, io.ErrShortBuffer
+		}
 		t0, t1, l := ttype(b[0]), ttype(b[1]), int(int32(binary.BigEndian.Uint32(b[2:])))
 		if l < 0 {
 			return 0, errNegativeSize
@@ -241,6 +268,13 @@ func (d *tDecoder) decodeType(t *tType, b []byte, p unsafe.Pointer, maxdepth int
 			return 0, newTypeMismatchKV(kt.WT, vt.WT, t0, t1)
 		}
 
+		// reject corrupted lengths before allocating the map: every entry needs
+		// at least minWireSize[key]+minWireSize[value] bytes, so l entries can
+		// not fit if they exceed the remaining buffer. likely data is broken.
+		if remain := len(b) - mapHeaderLen; l > remain/(int(minWireSize[kt.WT])+int(minWireSize[vt.WT])) {
+			return mapHeaderLen, newSizeExceedsBufferException(l, remain)
+		}
+
 		// decode map
 
 		// tmp vars
@@ -318,6 +352,9 @@ func (d *tDecoder) decodeType(t *tType, b []byte, p unsafe.Pointer, maxdepth int
 
 	case tLIST, tSET: // NOTE: for tSET, it may be map in the future
 		// list header
+		if len(b) < listHeaderLen {
+			return 0, io.ErrShortBuffer
+		}
 		tp, l := ttype(b[0]), int(int32(binary.BigEndian.Uint32(b[1:])))
 		if l < 0 {
 			return 0, errNegativeSize
@@ -336,6 +373,14 @@ func (d *tDecoder) decodeType(t *tType, b []byte, p unsafe.Pointer, maxdepth int
 			h.Zero()
 			return i, nil
 		}
+
+		// reject corrupted lengths before allocating the slice: every element
+		// needs at least minWireSize[et] bytes, so l elements can not fit if
+		// they exceed the remaining buffer. likely the data is broken.
+		if remain := len(b) - i; l > remain/int(minWireSize[et.WT]) {
+			return i, newSizeExceedsBufferException(l, remain)
+		}
+
 		x := d.Malloc(l*et.Size, et.Align, et.MallocAbiType) // malloc for slice. make([]Type, l, l)
 		h.Data = x
 		h.Len = l
diff --git a/internal/reflect/decoder_test.go b/internal/reflect/decoder_test.go
index fc3298c..b17a646 100644
--- a/internal/reflect/decoder_test.go
+++ b/internal/reflect/decoder_test.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package reflect
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"errors"
 	"io"
 	"math"
 	"math/rand"
@@ -456,21 +457,22 @@ func TestDecodeStringShortBuffer(t *testing.T) {
 	var result string
 	ptr := unsafe.Pointer(&result)
 
-	// io.ErrShortBuffer: decodeType
-	data := []byte{0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x05, 'h', 'e', 'l', 'l'} // length=5, only 4 bytes
-	n, err := decoder.decodeType(typ, data, ptr, 1)
-	assert.True(t, err == io.ErrShortBuffer)
-	assert.True(t, n <= len(data))
+	// header truncated: fewer than strHeaderLen bytes to even read the length.
+	// this is a genuine short buffer, not corrupted data.
+	for _, data := range [][]byte{nil, {0x00}, {0x00, 0x00, 0x00}} {
+		n, err := decoder.decodeType(typ, data, ptr, 1)
+		assert.True(t, err == io.ErrShortBuffer)
+		assert.True(t, n <= len(data))
 
-	// io.ErrShortBuffer: decodeStringNoCopy
-	n, err = decodeStringNoCopy(typ, data, ptr)
-	assert.True(t, err == io.ErrShortBuffer)
-	assert.True(t, n <= len(data))
+		n, err = decodeStringNoCopy(typ, data, ptr)
+		assert.True(t, err == io.ErrShortBuffer)
+		assert.True(t, n <= len(data))
+	}
 
 	// Normal case: decodeType
-	data = []byte{0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x05, 'h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o'}
+	data := []byte{0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x05, 'h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o'}
 	result = ""
-	n, err = decoder.decodeType(typ, data, ptr, 1)
+	n, err := decoder.decodeType(typ, data, ptr, 1)
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, len(data), n)
 	assert.Equal(t, "hello", result)
@@ -481,3 +483,56 @@ func TestDecodeStringShortBuffer(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, len(data), n)
 	assert.Equal(t, "hello", result)
 }
+
+// assertSizeLimit asserts err is a thrift SIZE_LIMIT protocol exception, i.e. a
+// decoded size that exceeds the remaining buffer (likely corrupted data).
+func assertSizeLimit(t *testing.T, err error) {
+	t.Helper()
+	var pe *thrift.ProtocolException
+	if !errors.As(err, &pe) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected *thrift.ProtocolException, got %v", err)
+	}
+	assert.Equal(t, int32(thrift.SIZE_LIMIT), pe.TypeID())
+}
+
+func TestDecodeSizeExceedsBuffer(t *testing.T) {
+	// string / binary: declared length exceeds the remaining buffer
+	decoder := &tDecoder{}
+	typ := &tType{T: tSTRING, Tag: defs.T_string}
+	var s string
+	data := []byte{0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x05, 'h', 'e', 'l', 'l'} // length=5, only 4 bytes
+	_, err := decoder.decodeType(typ, data, unsafe.Pointer(&s), 1)
+	assertSizeLimit(t, err)
+	_, err = decodeStringNoCopy(typ, data, unsafe.Pointer(&s))
+	assertSizeLimit(t, err)
+
+	// list: element count far exceeds the remaining buffer
+	{
+		type Msg struct {
+			L []int32 `frugal:"1,default,list<i32>"`
+		}
+		b := []byte{
+			byte(tLIST), 0x00, 0x01, // field: type=LIST id=1
+			byte(tI32),             // element type
+			0x7f, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, // count = 2147483647
+			byte(tSTOP),
+		}
+		_, err := Decode(b, &Msg{})
+		assertSizeLimit(t, err)
+	}
+
+	// map: entry count far exceeds the remaining buffer
+	{
+		type Msg struct {
+			M map[int32]int32 `frugal:"1,default,map<i32:i32>"`
+		}
+		b := []byte{
+			byte(tMAP), 0x00, 0x01, // field: type=MAP id=1
+			byte(tI32), byte(tI32), // key type, value type
+			0x7f, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, // count = 2147483647
+			byte(tSTOP),
+		}
+		_, err := Decode(b, &Msg{})
+		assertSizeLimit(t, err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/reflect/exception.go b/internal/reflect/exception.go
index d5f1d2e..059c147 100644
--- a/internal/reflect/exception.go
+++ b/internal/reflect/exception.go
@@ -34,6 +34,17 @@ func newRequiredFieldNotSetException(name string) error {
 	)
 }
 
+// newSizeExceedsBufferException is returned when a decoded length or element
+// count is larger than the remaining buffer can possibly hold. Unlike
+// io.ErrShortBuffer (which only means more bytes are needed), it signals the
+// size field itself is bogus, so the data is most likely corrupted.
+func newSizeExceedsBufferException(size, remain int) error {
+	return thrift.NewProtocolException(
+		thrift.SIZE_LIMIT,
+		fmt.Sprintf("decoded size %d exceeds remaining buffer %d, data may be corrupted", size, remain),
+	)
+}
+
 func newTypeMismatch(expect, got ttype) error {
 	return thrift.NewProtocolException(
 		thrift.INVALID_DATA,