diff --git a/bfd/coff-rs6000.c b/bfd/coff-rs6000.c
index 025c424..7868193 100644
--- a/bfd/coff-rs6000.c
+++ b/bfd/coff-rs6000.c
@@ -1276,7 +1276,7 @@ _bfd_xcoff_slurp_armap (bfd *abfd)
 
       /* The symbol table starts with a normal archive header.  */
       if (bfd_bread (&hdr, (bfd_size_type) SIZEOF_AR_HDR_BIG, abfd)
-	  != SIZEOF_AR_HDR_BIG)
+	  != SIZEOF_AR_HDR_BIG || hdr.namlen[3] != '\0')
 	return FALSE;
 
       /* Skip the name (normally empty).  */
@@ -1386,7 +1386,8 @@ _bfd_xcoff_archive_p (bfd *abfd)
 
       /* Now read the rest of the file header.  */
       amt = SIZEOF_AR_FILE_HDR - SXCOFFARMAG;
-      if (bfd_bread (&hdr.memoff, amt, abfd) != amt)
+      if (bfd_bread (&hdr.memoff, amt, abfd) != amt
+          || hdr.firstmemoff[XCOFFARMAG_ELEMENT_SIZE-1])
 	{
 	  if (bfd_get_error () != bfd_error_system_call)
 	    bfd_set_error (bfd_error_wrong_format);
@@ -1463,7 +1464,7 @@ _bfd_xcoff_read_ar_hdr (bfd *abfd)
       struct xcoff_ar_hdr *hdrp;
 
       if (bfd_bread (&hdr, (bfd_size_type) SIZEOF_AR_HDR, abfd)
-	  != SIZEOF_AR_HDR)
+	  != SIZEOF_AR_HDR || hdr.namlen[3] != '\0')
 	{
 	  free (ret);
 	  return NULL;
@@ -1495,7 +1496,7 @@ _bfd_xcoff_read_ar_hdr (bfd *abfd)
       struct xcoff_ar_hdr_big *hdrp;
 
       if (bfd_bread (&hdr, (bfd_size_type) SIZEOF_AR_HDR_BIG, abfd)
-	  != SIZEOF_AR_HDR_BIG)
+	  != SIZEOF_AR_HDR_BIG || hdr.namlen[3] != '\0')
 	{
 	  free (ret);
 	  return NULL;
diff --git a/bfd/coff64-rs6000.c b/bfd/coff64-rs6000.c
index 525b079..c23703a 100644
--- a/bfd/coff64-rs6000.c
+++ b/bfd/coff64-rs6000.c
@@ -1888,7 +1888,7 @@ xcoff64_slurp_armap (bfd *abfd)
 
   /* The symbol table starts with a normal archive header.  */
   if (bfd_bread (&hdr, (bfd_size_type) SIZEOF_AR_HDR_BIG, abfd)
-      != SIZEOF_AR_HDR_BIG)
+      != SIZEOF_AR_HDR_BIG || hdr.namlen[3] != '\0')
     return FALSE;
 
   /* Skip the name (normally empty).  */