diff --git a/src/key/import.ts b/src/key/import.ts
index 5cbd61c2af..a9b566f42a 100644
--- a/src/key/import.ts
+++ b/src/key/import.ts
@@ -41,20 +41,13 @@ function parseElement(bytes: Uint8Array) {
   if (bytes[position] < 0x80) {
     length = bytes[position]
     position++
-  } else {
-    let numberOfDigits = bytes[position] & 0x7f
-    position++
-    length = 0
-    for (let i = 0; i < numberOfDigits; i++) {
-      length = length * 256 + bytes[position]
-      position++
-    }
-  }
-
-  if (length === 0x80) {
+  } else if (length === 0x80) {
     length = 0
 
     while (bytes[position + length] !== 0 || bytes[position + length + 1] !== 0) {
+      if (length > bytes.byteLength) {
+        throw new TypeError('invalid indefinite form length')
+      }
       length++
     }
 
@@ -64,6 +57,14 @@ function parseElement(bytes: Uint8Array) {
       contents: bytes.subarray(position, position + length),
       raw: bytes.subarray(0, byteLength),
     }
+  } else {
+    let numberOfDigits = bytes[position] & 0x7f
+    position++
+    length = 0
+    for (let i = 0; i < numberOfDigits; i++) {
+      length = length * 256 + bytes[position]
+      position++
+    }
   }
 
   const byteLength = position + length
@@ -158,7 +159,13 @@ export async function importX509(
   if (typeof x509 !== 'string' || x509.indexOf('-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----') !== 0) {
     throw new TypeError('"x509" must be X.509 formatted string')
   }
-  const spki = getSPKI(x509)
+  let spki: string
+  try {
+    spki = getSPKI(x509)
+  } catch (cause) {
+    // @ts-ignore
+    throw new TypeError('failed to parse the X.509 certificate', { cause })
+  }
   return importPublic(spki, alg, options)
 }
 
diff --git a/test/jwk/issue-459.test.mjs b/test/jwk/issue-459.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b1d353a7b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/jwk/issue-459.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import test from 'ava'
+import { keyRoot } from '../dist.mjs'
+
+const { importX509 } = await import(keyRoot)
+
+const cert = `-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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+-----END CERTIFICATE-----`
+
+test('https://github.com/panva/jose/issues/459', (t) => {
+  return t.notThrowsAsync(() => importX509(cert, 'RS256'))
+})