diff --git a/alloc_limit_security_test.go b/alloc_limit_security_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c524b49
--- /dev/null
+++ b/alloc_limit_security_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+package msgpack
+
+// Security regression tests for the unbounded-allocation DoS (CWE-789/CWE-770).
+//
+// A MessagePack array/map header declares an element count in as few as 5 bytes
+// (e.g. array32 = 0xdd + 4-byte big-endian count, up to ~4.29 billion). The
+// decoder must NOT size an allocation directly from that untrusted count.
+//
+// Before the fix, decodeSliceValue used `d.flags&disableAllocLimitFlag != 1`.
+// disableAllocLimitFlag == 8, so `flags & 8` is only ever 0 or 8 and never 1,
+// making the expression always true: the sliceAllocLimit cap was dead and a
+// 5-byte header pre-allocated the full declared slice. The interface{} path
+// (decodeSlice) and DecodeMap/DecodeUntypedMap had no cap at all.
+//
+// Run:  go test -run 'TestSecAlloc' -v ./
+// To watch these fail on the unpatched code, revert the edits in
+// decode_slice.go / decode_map.go and re-run.
+
+import (
+	"runtime"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// secArray32Header builds a 5-byte array32 header declaring n elements, with NO
+// element bytes following it.
+func secArray32Header(n uint32) []byte {
+	return []byte{0xdd, byte(n >> 24), byte(n >> 16), byte(n >> 8), byte(n)}
+}
+
+// secMap32Header builds a 5-byte map32 header declaring n entries, with no body.
+func secMap32Header(n uint32) []byte {
+	return []byte{0xdf, byte(n >> 24), byte(n >> 16), byte(n >> 8), byte(n)}
+}
+
+func secMeasureAlloc(fn func()) uint64 {
+	runtime.GC()
+	var before, after runtime.MemStats
+	runtime.ReadMemStats(&before)
+	fn()
+	runtime.ReadMemStats(&after)
+	return after.TotalAlloc - before.TotalAlloc
+}
+
+// A correctly-bounded decoder allocates around the library's own caps
+// (sliceAllocLimit / maxMapSize = 1e6 elements), far below the declared 10M.
+const secAllocCeiling = 32 << 20 // 32 MiB
+
+const secDeclared = 10_000_000 // declared by a 5-byte header
+
+// Typed-slice path (decodeSliceValue). Vulnerable: ~80 MiB for []int64.
+func TestSecAllocBounded_TypedSlice(t *testing.T) {
+	data := secArray32Header(secDeclared)
+	var dst []int64
+
+	got := secMeasureAlloc(func() { _ = Unmarshal(data, &dst) })
+
+	t.Logf("declared=%d elems, allocated=%.1f MiB (cap=%d elems)",
+		secDeclared, float64(got)/(1<<20), int(sliceAllocLimit))
+	if got > secAllocCeiling {
+		t.Fatalf("typed slice allocation not bounded: a %d-byte header allocated %d bytes (> %d). "+
+			"sliceAllocLimit bypassed (CWE-789).", len(data), got, secAllocCeiling)
+	}
+}
+
+// Interface{} path (decodeSlice). Vulnerable: ~160 MiB for []interface{}.
+func TestSecAllocBounded_InterfaceSlice(t *testing.T) {
+	data := secArray32Header(secDeclared)
+	var dst interface{}
+
+	got := secMeasureAlloc(func() { _ = Unmarshal(data, &dst) })
+
+	t.Logf("declared=%d elems, allocated=%.1f MiB", secDeclared, float64(got)/(1<<20))
+	if got > secAllocCeiling {
+		t.Fatalf("interface{} allocation not bounded: allocated %d bytes (> %d)", got, secAllocCeiling)
+	}
+}
+
+// Map path (DecodeMap). Bounded by maxMapSize after the fix. The ceiling here is
+// higher because Go pre-sizes map buckets (~70 MiB at the 1e6 cap), but that is
+// still an order of magnitude below the unbounded ~700 MiB for 10M entries.
+func TestSecAllocBounded_Map(t *testing.T) {
+	data := secMap32Header(secDeclared)
+	var dst map[string]interface{}
+
+	got := secMeasureAlloc(func() { _ = Unmarshal(data, &dst) })
+
+	const mapCeiling = 150 << 20 // 150 MiB
+	t.Logf("declared=%d entries, allocated=%.1f MiB (cap=%d)",
+		secDeclared, float64(got)/(1<<20), int(maxMapSize))
+	if got > mapCeiling {
+		t.Fatalf("map allocation not bounded: allocated %d bytes (> %d)", got, mapCeiling)
+	}
+}
+
+// Regression: an HONEST slice larger than the cap must still round-trip fully.
+// The cap limits only the initial allocation; growth as real elements arrive
+// must still produce every element.
+func TestSecHonestLargeSliceRoundTrips(t *testing.T) {
+	const n = 1_500_000 // > sliceAllocLimit (1e6)
+
+	in := make([]int64, n)
+	for i := range in {
+		in[i] = int64(i)
+	}
+
+	b, err := Marshal(in)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("marshal: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	var out []int64
+	if err := Unmarshal(b, &out); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unmarshal: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if len(out) != n {
+		t.Fatalf("length mismatch: got %d, want %d", len(out), n)
+	}
+	if out[0] != 0 || out[n-1] != int64(n-1) {
+		t.Fatalf("value mismatch: out[0]=%d out[%d]=%d", out[0], n-1, out[n-1])
+	}
+}
diff --git a/decode_map.go b/decode_map.go
index c54dae3..2382a34 100644
--- a/decode_map.go
+++ b/decode_map.go
@@ -157,7 +157,11 @@ func (d *Decoder) DecodeMap() (map[string]interface{}, error) {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 
-	m := make(map[string]interface{}, n)
+	mapLen := n
+	if d.flags&disableAllocLimitFlag == 0 {
+		mapLen = min(mapLen, maxMapSize)
+	}
+	m := make(map[string]interface{}, mapLen)
 
 	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
 		mk, err := d.DecodeString()
@@ -184,7 +188,11 @@ func (d *Decoder) DecodeUntypedMap() (map[interface{}]interface{}, error) {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 
-	m := make(map[interface{}]interface{}, n)
+	mapLen := n
+	if d.flags&disableAllocLimitFlag == 0 {
+		mapLen = min(mapLen, maxMapSize)
+	}
+	m := make(map[interface{}]interface{}, mapLen)
 
 	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
 		mk, err := d.decodeInterfaceCond()
diff --git a/decode_slice.go b/decode_slice.go
index 9c155f2..667c1ec 100644
--- a/decode_slice.go
+++ b/decode_slice.go
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ func decodeSliceValue(d *Decoder, v reflect.Value) error {
 		v.Set(v.Slice(0, v.Cap()))
 	}
 
-	noLimit := d.flags&disableAllocLimitFlag != 1
+	noLimit := d.flags&disableAllocLimitFlag != 0
 
 	if noLimit && n > v.Len() {
 		v.Set(growSliceValue(v, n, noLimit))
@@ -170,7 +170,13 @@ func (d *Decoder) decodeSlice(c byte) ([]interface{}, error) {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 
-	s := make([]interface{}, 0, n)
+	// Never pre-allocate based on the untrusted, declared element count. Cap
+	// the initial capacity; append still grows to fit the data actually present.
+	capHint := n
+	if d.flags&disableAllocLimitFlag == 0 && capHint > sliceAllocLimit {
+		capHint = sliceAllocLimit
+	}
+	s := make([]interface{}, 0, capHint)
 	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
 		v, err := d.decodeInterfaceCond()
 		if err != nil {