diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/ReceivePackAdvertiseRefsHookTest.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/ReceivePackAdvertiseRefsHookTest.java
index 341112288..abd284087 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/ReceivePackAdvertiseRefsHookTest.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/ReceivePackAdvertiseRefsHookTest.java
@@ -424,6 +424,71 @@ public class ReceivePackAdvertiseRefsHookTest extends LocalDiskRepositoryTestCas
 		assertSame(PacketLineIn.END, r.readString());
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testIncludesInvalidGitmodules() throws Exception {
+		final TemporaryBuffer.Heap inBuf = setupSourceRepoInvalidGitmodules();
+		final TemporaryBuffer.Heap outBuf = new TemporaryBuffer.Heap(1024);
+		final ReceivePack rp = new ReceivePack(dst);
+		rp.setCheckReceivedObjects(true);
+		rp.setCheckReferencedObjectsAreReachable(true);
+		rp.setAdvertiseRefsHook(new HidePrivateHook());
+		try {
+			receive(rp, inBuf, outBuf);
+			fail("Expected UnpackException");
+		} catch (UnpackException failed) {
+			Throwable err = failed.getCause();
+			assertTrue(err instanceof IOException);
+		}
+
+		final PacketLineIn r = asPacketLineIn(outBuf);
+		String master = r.readString();
+		int nul = master.indexOf('\0');
+		assertTrue("has capability list", nul > 0);
+		assertEquals(B.name() + ' ' + R_MASTER, master.substring(0, nul));
+		assertSame(PacketLineIn.END, r.readString());
+
+		String errorLine = r.readString();
+		System.out.println(errorLine);
+		assertTrue(errorLine.startsWith(
+				"unpack error Invalid submodule URL '-"));
+		assertEquals("ng refs/heads/s n/a (unpacker error)", r.readString());
+		assertSame(PacketLineIn.END, r.readString());
+	}
+
+	private TemporaryBuffer.Heap setupSourceRepoInvalidGitmodules()
+			throws IOException, Exception, MissingObjectException {
+		String fakeGitmodules = new StringBuilder()
+				.append("[submodule \"test\"]\n")
+				.append("    path = xlib\n")
+				.append("    url = https://example.com/repo/xlib.git\n\n")
+				.append("[submodule \"test2\"]\n")
+				.append("    path = zlib\n")
+				.append("    url = -upayload.sh\n")
+				.toString();
+
+		TestRepository<Repository> s = new TestRepository<>(src);
+		RevBlob blob = s.blob(fakeGitmodules);
+		RevCommit N = s.commit().parent(B)
+				.add(".gitmodules", blob).create();
+		RevTree t = s.parseBody(N).getTree();
+
+		final TemporaryBuffer.Heap pack = new TemporaryBuffer.Heap(1024);
+		packHeader(pack, 3);
+		copy(pack, src.open(N));
+		copy(pack, src.open(t));
+		copy(pack, src.open(blob));
+		digest(pack);
+
+		final TemporaryBuffer.Heap inBuf = new TemporaryBuffer.Heap(1024);
+		final PacketLineOut inPckLine = new PacketLineOut(inBuf);
+		inPckLine.writeString(ObjectId.zeroId().name() + ' ' + N.name() + ' '
+				+ "refs/heads/s" + '\0'
+				+ BasePackPushConnection.CAPABILITY_REPORT_STATUS);
+		inPckLine.end();
+		pack.writeTo(inBuf, PM);
+		return inBuf;
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void testUsingUnknownTreeFails() throws Exception {
 		TestRepository<Repository> s = new TestRepository<>(src);
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.properties b/org.eclipse.jgit/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.properties
index 2083e1eef..55e786cdf 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.properties
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.properties
@@ -347,6 +347,7 @@ invalidDepth=Invalid depth: {0}
 invalidEncryption=Invalid encryption
 invalidExpandWildcard=ExpandFromSource on a refspec that can have mismatched wildcards does not make sense.
 invalidGitdirRef = Invalid .git reference in file ''{0}''
+invalidGitModules=Invalid .gitmodules file
 invalidGitType=invalid git type: {0}
 invalidId=Invalid id: {0}
 invalidId0=Invalid id
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.java
index 858676397..1bf55e3e7 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.java
@@ -406,6 +406,7 @@ public class JGitText extends TranslationBundle {
 	/***/ public String invalidEncryption;
 	/***/ public String invalidExpandWildcard;
 	/***/ public String invalidGitdirRef;
+	/***/ public String invalidGitModules;
 	/***/ public String invalidGitType;
 	/***/ public String invalidId;
 	/***/ public String invalidId0;
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/submodule/SubmoduleValidator.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/submodule/SubmoduleValidator.java
index 4821c80f0..d4bba2d0d 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/submodule/SubmoduleValidator.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/submodule/SubmoduleValidator.java
@@ -42,9 +42,13 @@
  */
 package org.eclipse.jgit.internal.submodule;
 
+import java.io.IOException;
 import java.text.MessageFormat;
 
+import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.ConfigInvalidException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.internal.JGitText;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Config;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ConfigConstants;
 
 /**
  * Validations for the git submodule fields (name, path, uri).
@@ -138,4 +142,39 @@ public class SubmoduleValidator {
 		}
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * @param gitModulesContents
+	 *            Contents of a .gitmodule file. They will be parsed internally.
+	 * @throws IOException
+	 *             If the contents
+	 */
+	public static void assertValidGitModulesFile(String gitModulesContents)
+			throws IOException {
+		// Validate .gitmodules file
+		Config c = new Config();
+		try {
+			c.fromText(gitModulesContents);
+			for (String subsection : c.getSubsections(
+					ConfigConstants.CONFIG_SUBMODULE_SECTION)) {
+				String url = c.getString(
+						ConfigConstants.CONFIG_SUBMODULE_SECTION,
+						subsection, ConfigConstants.CONFIG_KEY_URL);
+				assertValidSubmoduleUri(url);
+
+				assertValidSubmoduleName(subsection);
+
+				String path = c.getString(
+						ConfigConstants.CONFIG_SUBMODULE_SECTION, subsection,
+						ConfigConstants.CONFIG_KEY_PATH);
+				assertValidSubmodulePath(path);
+			}
+		} catch (ConfigInvalidException e) {
+			throw new IOException(
+					MessageFormat.format(
+							JGitText.get().invalidGitModules,
+							e));
+		} catch (SubmoduleValidationException e) {
+			throw new IOException(e.getMessage(), e);
+		}
+	}
 }
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/BaseReceivePack.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/BaseReceivePack.java
index 6f94dbbfe..14b683f01 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/BaseReceivePack.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/BaseReceivePack.java
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.jgit.transport;
 
+import static java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets.UTF_8;
 import static org.eclipse.jgit.transport.GitProtocolConstants.CAPABILITY_ATOMIC;
 import static org.eclipse.jgit.transport.GitProtocolConstants.CAPABILITY_DELETE_REFS;
 import static org.eclipse.jgit.transport.GitProtocolConstants.CAPABILITY_OFS_DELTA;
@@ -76,15 +77,20 @@ import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.PackProtocolException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.TooLargePackException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.internal.JGitText;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.internal.storage.file.PackLock;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.internal.submodule.SubmoduleValidator;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.AnyObjectId;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.BatchRefUpdate;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Config;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Config.SectionParser;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Constants;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.GitmoduleEntry;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.NullProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectChecker;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectDatabase;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectId;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectIdSubclassMap;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectInserter;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectLoader;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.PersonIdent;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Ref;
@@ -1081,8 +1087,10 @@ public abstract class BaseReceivePack {
 	 */
 	protected void receivePackAndCheckConnectivity() throws IOException {
 		receivePack();
-		if (needCheckConnectivity())
+		if (needCheckConnectivity()) {
+			checkSubmodules();
 			checkConnectivity();
+		}
 		parser = null;
 	}
 
@@ -1400,6 +1408,21 @@ public abstract class BaseReceivePack {
 				|| !getClientShallowCommits().isEmpty();
 	}
 
+	private void checkSubmodules()
+			throws IOException {
+		ObjectDatabase odb = db.getObjectDatabase();
+		if (objectChecker == null) {
+			return;
+		}
+		for (GitmoduleEntry entry : objectChecker.getGitsubmodules()) {
+			AnyObjectId blobId = entry.getBlobId();
+			ObjectLoader blob = odb.open(blobId, Constants.OBJ_BLOB);
+
+			SubmoduleValidator.assertValidGitModulesFile(
+					new String(blob.getBytes(), UTF_8));
+		}
+	}
+
 	private void checkConnectivity() throws IOException {
 		ObjectIdSubclassMap<ObjectId> baseObjects = null;
 		ObjectIdSubclassMap<ObjectId> providedObjects = null;