diff --git a/include/nlohmann/detail/input/binary_reader.hpp b/include/nlohmann/detail/input/binary_reader.hpp
index 929ac7573..4c8d6ed0f 100644
--- a/include/nlohmann/detail/input/binary_reader.hpp
+++ b/include/nlohmann/detail/input/binary_reader.hpp
@@ -3000,6 +3000,14 @@ class binary_reader
                 return false;
             }
 
+            // validate the type marker up front: otherwise it would only be
+            // checked when an element is read, and a container with count 0
+            // would accept any marker
+            if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(!is_valid_optimized_type(result.second)))
+            {
+                return optimized_type_error();
+            }
+
             get_ignore_noop();
             if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(current != '#'))
             {
@@ -4496,6 +4504,44 @@ class binary_reader
     std::size_t bon8_pushback_size = 0;
 
   JSON_PRIVATE_UNLESS_TESTED:
+    /*!
+    @brief check whether @a marker is a type marker that may follow '$'
+    UBJSON: Z N T F i U I l L d D H C S [ {; BJData: the numeric markers and C
+    (BJData's excluded markers are rejected separately).
+    */
+    bool is_valid_optimized_type(const char_int_type marker) const noexcept
+    {
+        switch (marker)
+        {
+            case 'i':
+            case 'U':
+            case 'I':
+            case 'l':
+            case 'L':
+            case 'd':
+            case 'D':
+            case 'C':
+                return true;
+            case 'Z':
+            case 'N':
+            case 'T':
+            case 'F':
+            case 'H':
+            case 'S':
+            case '[':
+            case '{':
+                return input_format != input_format_t::bjdata;
+            case 'B':
+            case 'u':
+            case 'm':
+            case 'M':
+            case 'h':
+                return input_format == input_format_t::bjdata;
+            default:
+                return false;
+        }
+    }
+
     /*!
     @brief whether @a marker is excluded from BJData's optimized ND-array types
     @return whether @a marker is one of 'F', 'H', 'N', 'S', 'T', 'Z', '[', '{'
diff --git a/tests/src/unit-bjdata.cpp b/tests/src/unit-bjdata.cpp
index 67e9e0a05..af92b48d1 100644
--- a/tests/src/unit-bjdata.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/unit-bjdata.cpp
@@ -3134,7 +3134,7 @@ TEST_CASE("BJData")
                 std::vector<uint8_t> const v1 = {'[', '#', 'i', 0xF1};
                 std::vector<uint8_t> const v2 = {'[', '$', 'I', '#', 'i', 0xF2};
                 std::vector<uint8_t> const v3 = {'[', '$', 'I', '#', '[', 'i', 0xF4, 'i', 0x02, ']'};
-                std::vector<uint8_t> const v4 = {'[', '$', 0xF6, '#', 'i', 0xF7};
+                std::vector<uint8_t> const v4 = {'[', '$', 'l', '#', 'i', 0xF7};
                 std::vector<uint8_t> const v5 = {'[', '$', 'I', '#', '[', 'i', 0xF5, 'i', 0xF1, ']'};
                 std::vector<uint8_t> const v6 = {'[', '#', '[', 'i', 0xF3, 'i', 0x02, ']'};
 
@@ -3455,7 +3455,7 @@ TEST_CASE("BJData")
             CHECK(json::from_bjdata(v0, true, false).is_discarded());
 
             std::vector<uint8_t> const vi = {'[', '$', '#'};
-            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bjdata(vi), "[json.exception.parse_error.110] parse error at byte 4: syntax error while parsing BJData value: unexpected end of input", json::parse_error&);
+            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bjdata(vi), "[json.exception.parse_error.112] parse error at byte 3: syntax error while parsing BJData type: marker 0x23 is not a permitted optimized array type", json::parse_error&);
             CHECK(json::from_bjdata(vi, true, false).is_discarded());
 
             std::vector<uint8_t> const vU = {'[', '$', 'U'};
@@ -4622,3 +4622,51 @@ TEST_CASE("BJData large strings and binaries (chunked reader)")
         }
     }
 }
+
+TEST_CASE("BJData optimized container type marker is validated for count 0")
+{
+    // the '$' type marker must be a legal marker even if no element follows
+    SECTION("invalid marker")
+    {
+        // 'Z', 'T', 'F', 'N', 'S', 'H', '[' and '{' are excluded in BJData
+        for (const char marker : {'x', 'E', 'Z', 'T', 'F', 'N', 'S', 'H', '[', '{'})
+        {
+            for (const char open : {'[', '{'})
+            {
+                for (const std::uint8_t count : {0, 1})
+                {
+                    CAPTURE(marker)
+                    CAPTURE(open)
+                    CAPTURE(count)
+                    const std::vector<std::uint8_t> v = {static_cast<std::uint8_t>(open), '$', static_cast<std::uint8_t>(marker), '#', 'i', count};
+                    json _;
+                    CHECK_THROWS_AS(_ = json::from_bjdata(v), json::parse_error&);
+                    CHECK(json::from_bjdata(v, true, false).is_discarded());
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    SECTION("error message")
+    {
+        const std::vector<std::uint8_t> v = {'[', '$', 'x', '#', 'i', 0};
+        json _;
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bjdata(v), "[json.exception.parse_error.112] parse error at byte 3: syntax error while parsing BJData type: marker 0x78 is not a permitted optimized array type", json::parse_error&);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("valid marker")
+    {
+        for (const char marker : {'i', 'U', 'I', 'u', 'l', 'm', 'L', 'M', 'h', 'd', 'D', 'C'})
+        {
+            CAPTURE(marker)
+            const std::vector<std::uint8_t> va = {'[', '$', static_cast<std::uint8_t>(marker), '#', 'i', 0};
+            const std::vector<std::uint8_t> vo = {'{', '$', static_cast<std::uint8_t>(marker), '#', 'i', 0};
+            CHECK(json::from_bjdata(va) == json::array());
+            CHECK(json::from_bjdata(vo) == json::object());
+        }
+
+        // an optimized array of bytes is read as a binary value
+        const std::vector<std::uint8_t> vb = {'[', '$', 'B', '#', 'i', 0};
+        CHECK(json::from_bjdata(vb) == json::binary({}));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/src/unit-ubjson.cpp b/tests/src/unit-ubjson.cpp
index 4cce74dff..db6ac0f3a 100644
--- a/tests/src/unit-ubjson.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/unit-ubjson.cpp
@@ -2023,7 +2023,7 @@ TEST_CASE("UBJSON")
             CHECK(json::from_ubjson(v0, true, false).is_discarded());
 
             std::vector<uint8_t> const vi = {'[', '$', '#'};
-            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_ubjson(vi), "[json.exception.parse_error.110] parse error at byte 4: syntax error while parsing UBJSON value: unexpected end of input", json::parse_error&);
+            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_ubjson(vi), "[json.exception.parse_error.112] parse error at byte 3: syntax error while parsing UBJSON type: marker 0x23 is not a permitted optimized array type", json::parse_error&);
             CHECK(json::from_ubjson(vi, true, false).is_discarded());
 
             std::vector<uint8_t> const vT = {'[', '$', 'T'};
@@ -3348,3 +3348,46 @@ TEST_CASE("UBJSON large strings (chunked reader)")
         }
     }
 }
+
+TEST_CASE("UBJSON optimized container type marker is validated for count 0")
+{
+    // the '$' type marker must be a legal marker even if no element follows
+    SECTION("invalid marker")
+    {
+        for (const char marker : {'x', 'E', 'B', 'u', 'm', 'M', 'h'})
+        {
+            for (const char open : {'[', '{'})
+            {
+                for (const std::uint8_t count : {0, 1})
+                {
+                    CAPTURE(marker)
+                    CAPTURE(open)
+                    CAPTURE(count)
+                    const std::vector<std::uint8_t> v = {static_cast<std::uint8_t>(open), '$', static_cast<std::uint8_t>(marker), '#', 'i', count};
+                    json _;
+                    CHECK_THROWS_AS(_ = json::from_ubjson(v), json::parse_error&);
+                    CHECK(json::from_ubjson(v, true, false).is_discarded());
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    SECTION("error message")
+    {
+        const std::vector<std::uint8_t> v = {'[', '$', 'x', '#', 'i', 0};
+        json _;
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_ubjson(v), "[json.exception.parse_error.112] parse error at byte 3: syntax error while parsing UBJSON type: marker 0x78 is not a permitted optimized array type", json::parse_error&);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("valid marker")
+    {
+        for (const char marker : {'Z', 'N', 'T', 'F', 'i', 'U', 'I', 'l', 'L', 'd', 'D', 'H', 'C', 'S', '[', '{'})
+        {
+            CAPTURE(marker)
+            const std::vector<std::uint8_t> va = {'[', '$', static_cast<std::uint8_t>(marker), '#', 'i', 0};
+            const std::vector<std::uint8_t> vo = {'{', '$', static_cast<std::uint8_t>(marker), '#', 'i', 0};
+            CHECK(json::from_ubjson(va) == json::array());
+            CHECK(json::from_ubjson(vo) == json::object());
+        }
+    }
+}