diff --git a/src/com/esotericsoftware/kryo/serializers/JavaSerializer.java b/src/com/esotericsoftware/kryo/serializers/JavaSerializer.java
index bc8a5d6a7..a44760d3e 100644
--- a/src/com/esotericsoftware/kryo/serializers/JavaSerializer.java
+++ b/src/com/esotericsoftware/kryo/serializers/JavaSerializer.java
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 import java.io.ObjectInputStream;
 import java.io.ObjectOutputStream;
 import java.io.ObjectStreamClass;
+import java.util.function.Predicate;
 
 /** Serializes objects using Java's built in serialization mechanism. Note that this is very inefficient and should be avoided if
  * possible.
@@ -40,6 +41,22 @@
  * @see KryoSerializable
  * @author Nathan Sweet */
 public class JavaSerializer extends Serializer {
+	private Predicate<String> classFilter;
+
+	/** Sets an optional filter applied to the name of each class encountered while deserializing. When set, a class whose name the
+	 * predicate rejects is refused with a {@link KryoException} before the class is resolved, so an unwanted class is never loaded
+	 * and a name that does not resolve at all is still refused. This is opt-in, defense-in-depth protection for reading serialized
+	 * data from an untrusted source. When null (the default) no filtering is applied and behavior is unchanged.
+	 * @param classFilter May be null. */
+	public void setClassFilter (Predicate<String> classFilter) {
+		this.classFilter = classFilter;
+	}
+
+	/** @return May be null. */
+	public Predicate<String> getClassFilter () {
+		return classFilter;
+	}
+
 	public void write (Kryo kryo, Output output, Object object) {
 		try {
 			ObjectMap graphContext = kryo.getGraphContext();
@@ -60,7 +77,7 @@ public Object read (Kryo kryo, Input input, Class type) {
 			ObjectMap graphContext = kryo.getGraphContext();
 			ObjectInputStream objectStream = (ObjectInputStream)graphContext.get(this);
 			if (objectStream == null) {
-				objectStream = new ObjectInputStreamWithKryoClassLoader(input, kryo);
+				objectStream = new ObjectInputStreamWithKryoClassLoader(input, kryo, classFilter);
 				graphContext.put(this, objectStream);
 			}
 			return objectStream.readObject();
@@ -75,13 +92,20 @@ public Object read (Kryo kryo, Input input, Class type) {
 	 * https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/GROOVY-1627 */
 	private static class ObjectInputStreamWithKryoClassLoader extends ObjectInputStream {
 		private final Kryo kryo;
+		private final Predicate<String> classFilter;
 
-		ObjectInputStreamWithKryoClassLoader (InputStream in, Kryo kryo) throws IOException {
+		ObjectInputStreamWithKryoClassLoader (InputStream in, Kryo kryo, Predicate<String> classFilter) throws IOException {
 			super(in);
 			this.kryo = kryo;
+			this.classFilter = classFilter;
 		}
 
 		protected Class resolveClass (ObjectStreamClass type) {
+			// Checked on the name, before the class is resolved: a rejected class is never loaded, and a name that
+			// does not resolve at all is still refused rather than reported as missing.
+			if (classFilter != null && !classFilter.test(type.getName())) {
+				throw new KryoException("Deserialization is not allowed for class: " + type.getName());
+			}
 			try {
 				return Class.forName(type.getName(), false, kryo.getClassLoader());
 			} catch (ClassNotFoundException ignored) {}
diff --git a/test/com/esotericsoftware/kryo/serializers/JavaSerializerTest.java b/test/com/esotericsoftware/kryo/serializers/JavaSerializerTest.java
index 078672299..5f20f16f8 100644
--- a/test/com/esotericsoftware/kryo/serializers/JavaSerializerTest.java
+++ b/test/com/esotericsoftware/kryo/serializers/JavaSerializerTest.java
@@ -19,14 +19,23 @@
 
 package com.esotericsoftware.kryo.serializers;
 
+import com.esotericsoftware.kryo.KryoException;
 import com.esotericsoftware.kryo.KryoTestCase;
+import com.esotericsoftware.kryo.io.Input;
+import com.esotericsoftware.kryo.io.Output;
 
 import java.io.Serializable;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.net.URL;
 import java.net.URLClassLoader;
 
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
 /** @author Nathan Sweet */
 class JavaSerializerTest extends KryoTestCase {
 	@Test
@@ -55,6 +64,64 @@ void testJavaSerializerFallbackToDefaultClassLoader () {
 		roundTrip(139, test);
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	void testClassFilterRejectsDisallowedClass () {
+		JavaSerializer serializer = new JavaSerializer();
+		serializer.setClassFilter(name -> !name.equals(TestClass.class.getName()));
+		kryo.register(TestClass.class, serializer);
+
+		TestClass test = new TestClass();
+		test.stringField = "fubar";
+		test.intField = 54321;
+
+		Output output = new Output(1024, -1);
+		kryo.writeObject(output, test);
+
+		Input input = new Input(output.toBytes());
+		assertThrows(KryoException.class, () -> kryo.readObject(input, TestClass.class));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void testClassFilterAllowsClass () {
+		JavaSerializer serializer = new JavaSerializer();
+		serializer.setClassFilter(name -> true);
+		kryo.register(TestClass.class, serializer);
+
+		TestClass test = new TestClass();
+		test.stringField = "fubar";
+		test.intField = 54321;
+
+		Output output = new Output(1024, -1);
+		kryo.writeObject(output, test);
+
+		Input input = new Input(output.toBytes());
+		assertEquals(test, kryo.readObject(input, TestClass.class));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void testClassFilterSeesTheClassName () {
+		List<String> seen = new ArrayList<>();
+		JavaSerializer serializer = new JavaSerializer();
+		serializer.setClassFilter(name -> {
+			seen.add(name);
+			return true;
+		});
+		kryo.register(TestClass.class, serializer);
+
+		TestClass test = new TestClass();
+		test.stringField = "fubar";
+		test.intField = 54321;
+
+		Output output = new Output(1024, -1);
+		kryo.writeObject(output, test);
+
+		Input input = new Input(output.toBytes());
+		assertEquals(test, kryo.readObject(input, TestClass.class));
+		// The filter runs on the name before the class is resolved, so a caller can refuse a class
+		// without it being loaded, and can refuse a name that would not resolve at all.
+		assertTrue(seen.contains(TestClass.class.getName()));
+	}
+
 	public static class TestClass implements Serializable {
 		String stringField;
 		int intField;