diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/commons/net/ftp/parser/DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactory.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/commons/net/ftp/parser/DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactory.java
index e3771798a..d544a474a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/commons/net/ftp/parser/DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactory.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/commons/net/ftp/parser/DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactory.java
@@ -118,12 +118,15 @@ private FTPFileEntryParser createFileEntryParser(final String key, final FTPClie
         // Is the key a possible class name?
         if (JAVA_QUALIFIED_NAME_PATTERN.matcher(key).matches()) {
             try {
-                final Class<?> parserClass = Class.forName(key);
+                // Load without initialising, so an unrelated class (e.g. one taken from an untrusted SYST reply)
+                // does not run its static initialiser before the type is checked.
+                final Class<?> parserClass = Class.forName(key, false, getClass().getClassLoader());
+                if (!FTPFileEntryParser.class.isAssignableFrom(parserClass)) {
+                    throw new ParserInitializationException(
+                            parserClass.getName() + " does not implement the interface " + FTPFileEntryParser.class.getCanonicalName());
+                }
                 try {
                     parser = (FTPFileEntryParser) parserClass.getConstructor().newInstance();
-                } catch (final ClassCastException e) {
-                    throw new ParserInitializationException(
-                            parserClass.getName() + " does not implement the interface " + FTPFileEntryParser.class.getCanonicalName(), e);
                 } catch (final Exception | LinkageError e) {
                     throw new ParserInitializationException("Error initializing parser", e);
                 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/commons/net/ftp/parser/DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactoryTest.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/commons/net/ftp/parser/DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactoryTest.java
index 4833d67b0..1068b87cb 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/commons/net/ftp/parser/DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactoryTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/commons/net/ftp/parser/DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactoryTest.java
@@ -29,6 +29,21 @@
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 
 class DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactoryTest {
+
+    /** Set from {@link ConstructorProbe}'s static initialiser; kept here so reading it does not initialise the probe. */
+    static boolean probeInitialized;
+
+    /** A non-parser class whose static initialiser records that the class was initialised. */
+    public static final class ConstructorProbe {
+        static {
+            probeInitialized = true;
+        }
+
+        public ConstructorProbe() {
+            // empty
+        }
+    }
+
     private void checkParserClass(final FTPFileEntryParserFactory fact, final String key, final Class<?> expected) {
         final FTPClientConfig config = key == null ? new FTPClientConfig() : new FTPClientConfig(key);
         final FTPFileEntryParser parser = fact.createFileEntryParser(config);
@@ -104,7 +119,7 @@ void testDefaultParserFactory() {
             factory.createFileEntryParser("org.apache.commons.net.ftp.parser.DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactory");
             fail("Exception should have been thrown. \"DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactory\" does not implement FTPFileEntryParser");
         } catch (final ParserInitializationException pie) {
-            assertTrue(pie.getCause() instanceof ClassCastException);
+            assertTrue(pie.getMessage().contains("does not implement the interface"), pie.getMessage());
         }
 
         try {
@@ -112,7 +127,7 @@ void testDefaultParserFactory() {
             factory.createFileEntryParser("org.apache.commons.net.ftp.parser.FTPFileEntryParserFactory");
             fail("ParserInitializationException should have been thrown.");
         } catch (final ParserInitializationException pie) {
-            assertTrue(pie.getCause() instanceof ReflectiveOperationException, pie.getCause().toString());
+            assertTrue(pie.getMessage().contains("does not implement the interface"), pie.getMessage());
         }
         try {
             // Class exists, but is abstract
@@ -152,4 +167,14 @@ void testDefaultParserFactoryConfig() throws Exception {
         // Note: exact matching via config is the only way to generate NTFTPEntryParser and OS400FTPEntryParser
         // using DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactory
     }
+
+    @Test
+    void testNonParserClassIsNotInstantiated() {
+        final DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactory factory = new DefaultFTPFileEntryParserFactory();
+        probeInitialized = false;
+        // A qualified class name can arrive from the server's SYST reply during auto-detection.
+        // Referencing the .class literal does not initialise the probe, so probeInitialized stays false unless the factory triggers it.
+        assertThrows(ParserInitializationException.class, () -> factory.createFileEntryParser(ConstructorProbe.class.getName()));
+        assertFalse(probeInitialized, "a class that is not an FTPFileEntryParser must not be loaded with initialisation");
+    }
 }