diff --git a/httpclient5/src/main/java/org/apache/hc/client5/http/impl/classic/ContentCompressionExec.java b/httpclient5/src/main/java/org/apache/hc/client5/http/impl/classic/ContentCompressionExec.java
index ac3cd5a559..0d88979479 100644
--- a/httpclient5/src/main/java/org/apache/hc/client5/http/impl/classic/ContentCompressionExec.java
+++ b/httpclient5/src/main/java/org/apache/hc/client5/http/impl/classic/ContentCompressionExec.java
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
 import org.apache.hc.core5.http.HttpEntity;
 import org.apache.hc.core5.http.HttpException;
 import org.apache.hc.core5.http.HttpHeaders;
+import org.apache.hc.core5.http.ProtocolException;
 import org.apache.hc.core5.http.config.Lookup;
 import org.apache.hc.core5.http.config.RegistryBuilder;
 import org.apache.hc.core5.http.message.BasicHeaderValueParser;
@@ -77,14 +78,18 @@
 @Internal
 public final class ContentCompressionExec implements ExecChainHandler {
 
+    public static final int MAX_CODEC_LIST_LEN = 5;
+
     private final Header acceptEncoding;
     private final Lookup<InputStreamFactory> decoderRegistry;
     private final boolean ignoreUnknown;
+    private final int maxCodecListLen;
 
     public ContentCompressionExec(
             final List<String> acceptEncoding,
             final Lookup<InputStreamFactory> decoderRegistry,
-            final boolean ignoreUnknown) {
+            final boolean ignoreUnknown,
+            final int maxCodecListLen) {
 
         final boolean brotliSupported = decoderRegistry == null && BrotliDecompressingEntity.isAvailable();
         if (acceptEncoding != null) {
@@ -112,10 +117,22 @@ public ContentCompressionExec(
             this.decoderRegistry = builder.build();
         }
         this.ignoreUnknown = ignoreUnknown;
+        this.maxCodecListLen = maxCodecListLen;
+    }
+
+    public ContentCompressionExec(
+            final List<String> acceptEncoding,
+            final Lookup<InputStreamFactory> decoderRegistry,
+            final boolean ignoreUnknown) {
+        this(acceptEncoding, decoderRegistry, ignoreUnknown, MAX_CODEC_LIST_LEN);
     }
 
     public ContentCompressionExec(final boolean ignoreUnknown) {
-        this(null, null, ignoreUnknown);
+        this(null, null, ignoreUnknown, MAX_CODEC_LIST_LEN);
+    }
+
+    public ContentCompressionExec(final int maxCodecListLen) {
+        this(null, null, true, maxCodecListLen);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -128,7 +145,7 @@ public ContentCompressionExec(final boolean ignoreUnknown) {
      * </ul>
      */
     public ContentCompressionExec() {
-        this(null, null, true);
+        this(null, null, true, MAX_CODEC_LIST_LEN);
     }
 
 
@@ -158,6 +175,9 @@ public ClassicHttpResponse execute(
             if (contentEncoding != null) {
                 final ParserCursor cursor = new ParserCursor(0, contentEncoding.length());
                 final HeaderElement[] codecs = BasicHeaderValueParser.INSTANCE.parseElements(contentEncoding, cursor);
+                if (maxCodecListLen > 0 && codecs.length > maxCodecListLen) {
+                    throw new ProtocolException("Codec list exceeds maximum of " + maxCodecListLen + " elements");
+                }
                 for (final HeaderElement codec : codecs) {
                     final String codecname = codec.getName().toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT);
                     final InputStreamFactory decoderFactory = decoderRegistry.lookup(codecname);
diff --git a/httpclient5/src/test/java/org/apache/hc/client5/http/impl/classic/TestContentCompressionExec.java b/httpclient5/src/test/java/org/apache/hc/client5/http/impl/classic/TestContentCompressionExec.java
index 60eaa27f6f..13df4e32c8 100644
--- a/httpclient5/src/test/java/org/apache/hc/client5/http/impl/classic/TestContentCompressionExec.java
+++ b/httpclient5/src/test/java/org/apache/hc/client5/http/impl/classic/TestContentCompressionExec.java
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
 import org.apache.hc.core5.http.HttpException;
 import org.apache.hc.core5.http.HttpHost;
 import org.apache.hc.core5.http.Method;
+import org.apache.hc.core5.http.ProtocolException;
 import org.apache.hc.core5.http.io.entity.StringEntity;
 import org.apache.hc.core5.http.message.BasicClassicHttpRequest;
 import org.apache.hc.core5.http.message.BasicClassicHttpResponse;
@@ -236,4 +237,35 @@ void testContentEncodingRequestParameter() throws Exception {
         Assertions.assertFalse(entity instanceof GzipDecompressingEntity);
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void testContentEncodingExceedsCodecListLenMax() throws Exception {
+        impl = new ContentCompressionExec(5);
+
+        final ClassicHttpRequest request = new BasicClassicHttpRequest(Method.GET, host, "/");
+        final ClassicHttpResponse response1 = new BasicClassicHttpResponse(200, "OK");
+        final HttpEntity original1 = EntityBuilder.create()
+                .setText("encoded stuff")
+                .setContentEncoding("gzip,gzip,gzip,gzip,gzip")
+                .build();
+        response1.setEntity(original1);
+
+        Mockito.when(execChain.proceed(request, scope)).thenReturn(response1);
+
+        final HttpEntity entity = response1.getEntity();
+        Assertions.assertNotNull(entity);
+        Assertions.assertFalse(entity instanceof GzipDecompressingEntity);
+
+        final ClassicHttpResponse response2 = new BasicClassicHttpResponse(200, "OK");
+        final HttpEntity original2 = EntityBuilder.create()
+                .setText("encoded stuff")
+                .setContentEncoding("gzip,gzip,gzip,gzip,gzip,gzip")
+                .build();
+        response2.setEntity(original2);
+
+        Mockito.when(execChain.proceed(request, scope)).thenReturn(response2);
+
+        final ProtocolException exception = Assertions.assertThrows(ProtocolException.class, () -> impl.execute(request, scope, execChain));
+        Assertions.assertEquals("Codec list exceeds maximum of 5 elements", exception.getMessage());
+    }
+
 }