diff --git a/bfd/ChangeLog b/bfd/ChangeLog
index 9a3b9b1ec28..22837e0f0e8 100644
--- a/bfd/ChangeLog
+++ b/bfd/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2018-09-04  Jose E. Marchesi  <jose.marchesi@oracle.com>
+
+	* elf64-sparc.c (elf64_sparc_slurp_one_reloc_table): Issue an
+	error when an invalid symbol index is retrieved in ELF64_R_SYM of
+	a relocation seen in an input file.
+
 2018-09-03  Jozef Lawrynowicz <jozef.l@mittosystems.com>
 	    Alan Modra  <amodra@gmail.com>
 
diff --git a/bfd/elf64-sparc.c b/bfd/elf64-sparc.c
index 8c45d3257e4..41e1b7acf7e 100644
--- a/bfd/elf64-sparc.c
+++ b/bfd/elf64-sparc.c
@@ -97,12 +97,20 @@ elf64_sparc_slurp_one_reloc_table (bfd *abfd, asection *asect,
       else
 	relent->address = rela.r_offset - asect->vma;
 
-      if (ELF64_R_SYM (rela.r_info) == STN_UNDEF
-	  /* PR 17512: file: 996185f8.  */
-	  || (!dynamic && ELF64_R_SYM(rela.r_info) > bfd_get_symcount(abfd))
-	  || (dynamic
-	      && ELF64_R_SYM(rela.r_info) > bfd_get_dynamic_symcount(abfd)))
+      if (ELF64_R_SYM (rela.r_info) == STN_UNDEF)
 	relent->sym_ptr_ptr = bfd_abs_section_ptr->symbol_ptr_ptr;
+      else if (/* PR 17512: file: 996185f8.  */
+               (!dynamic && ELF64_R_SYM(rela.r_info) > bfd_get_symcount(abfd))
+               || (dynamic
+                   && ELF64_R_SYM(rela.r_info) > bfd_get_dynamic_symcount(abfd)))
+        {
+          _bfd_error_handler
+	    /* xgettext:c-format */
+	    (_("%pB(%pA): relocation %d has invalid symbol index %ld"),
+	     abfd, asect, i, (long) ELF64_R_SYM (rela.r_info));
+	  bfd_set_error (bfd_error_bad_value);
+	  relent->sym_ptr_ptr = bfd_abs_section_ptr->symbol_ptr_ptr;
+        }
       else
 	{
 	  asymbol **ps, *s;