diff --git a/crates/ssz-types/src/progressive_list.rs b/crates/ssz-types/src/progressive_list.rs
index b909011..9938ba5 100644
--- a/crates/ssz-types/src/progressive_list.rs
+++ b/crates/ssz-types/src/progressive_list.rs
@@ -130,3 +130,25 @@ impl<T: HashTreeRoot + SszEncode> HashTreeRoot for ProgressiveList<T> {
         mix_in_length(hasher, &root, length)
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    // `ProgressiveList` has no max length, so it relies entirely on the core
+    // decoder rejecting an out-of-bounds first offset before reserving capacity.
+    // Without that guard, a few bytes could force a multi-gigabyte allocation.
+    #[test]
+    fn decode_rejects_oversized_first_offset_before_alloc() {
+        // first_offset = 0xFFFF_FFFC (a multiple of 4) in an 8-byte buffer.
+        let bytes = [0xFC, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00];
+        let result = ProgressiveList::<Vec<u8>>::from_ssz_bytes(&bytes);
+        assert_eq!(
+            result,
+            Err(DecodeError::OffsetOutOfBounds {
+                offset: 0xFFFF_FFFC,
+                length: 8,
+            })
+        );
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/ssz/src/decode.rs b/crates/ssz/src/decode.rs
index 8b1926d..3c59595 100644
--- a/crates/ssz/src/decode.rs
+++ b/crates/ssz/src/decode.rs
@@ -369,6 +369,12 @@ fn decode_variable_length_items_with_max<T: SszDecode>(
         });
     }
 
+    // Reject an out-of-bounds first offset *before* deriving `num_items` and
+    // reserving capacity below. `first_offset` is attacker-controlled (it is the
+    // declared start of the element data), so without this guard a few input
+    // bytes could request a multi-gigabyte `Vec::with_capacity` and OOM the
+    // process. The per-offset loop also checks this, but only after allocating —
+    // keep this early check (do not "deduplicate" it away).
     if first_offset > bytes.len() {
         return Err(DecodeError::OffsetOutOfBounds {
             offset: first_offset,
diff --git a/crates/ssz/tests/encode_decode.rs b/crates/ssz/tests/encode_decode.rs
index 610027a..df197d9 100644
--- a/crates/ssz/tests/encode_decode.rs
+++ b/crates/ssz/tests/encode_decode.rs
@@ -547,3 +547,25 @@ fn container_encoder_new() {
     enc2.finalize();
     assert_eq!(buf1, buf2);
 }
+
+// ── DoS regression: bounded pre-allocation in variable-length list decode ──
+
+// A variable-length list reads `num_items` from the first 4-byte offset
+// (attacker-controlled) and reserves `Vec::with_capacity(num_items + 1)`. The
+// decoder must reject an out-of-bounds first offset before that allocation,
+// otherwise a few input bytes can force a multi-gigabyte allocation (OOM).
+// This covers the *uncapped* `Vec<T>` path (also used by `ProgressiveList`),
+// which has no max-length to fall back on.
+#[test]
+fn variable_list_rejects_oversized_first_offset_before_alloc() {
+    // first_offset = 0xFFFF_FFFC (~4.29e9, a multiple of 4) in an 8-byte buffer.
+    let bytes = [0xFC, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00];
+    let result = Vec::<Vec<u8>>::from_ssz_bytes(&bytes);
+    assert_eq!(
+        result,
+        Err(DecodeError::OffsetOutOfBounds {
+            offset: 0xFFFF_FFFC,
+            length: 8,
+        })
+    );
+}
diff --git a/fuzz/fuzz_targets/offset_adversarial.rs b/fuzz/fuzz_targets/offset_adversarial.rs
index b2d6a76..28c1c8f 100644
--- a/fuzz/fuzz_targets/offset_adversarial.rs
+++ b/fuzz/fuzz_targets/offset_adversarial.rs
@@ -34,6 +34,15 @@ struct FixedThenVar {
     data: Vec<u8>,
 }
 
+// Variable-length collection of *variable-size* elements. This reaches the
+// offset-table allocation path (`Vec::with_capacity(num_items)`) that the
+// structs above never hit — their fields are fixed-size `u8` elements. That
+// gap previously hid a pre-allocation DoS in variable-element list decoding.
+#[derive(Debug, PartialEq, SszEncode, SszDecode)]
+struct VarItemList {
+    items: Vec<Vec<u8>>,
+}
+
 fuzz_target!(|data: &[u8]| {
     // Attempt decode of each struct — must never panic regardless of input.
     // If decode succeeds, roundtrip must hold.
@@ -61,4 +70,18 @@ fuzz_target!(|data: &[u8]| {
         let decoded = FixedThenVar::from_ssz_bytes(&encoded).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(decoded, v, "FixedThenVar roundtrip");
     }
+
+    if let Ok(v) = VarItemList::from_ssz_bytes(data) {
+        let encoded = v.to_ssz();
+        let decoded = VarItemList::from_ssz_bytes(&encoded).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(decoded, v, "VarItemList roundtrip");
+    }
+
+    // The bare uncapped `Vec<T>` of variable-size elements (also the basis for
+    // `ProgressiveList`): the offset-table allocation has no max-length backstop.
+    if let Ok(v) = Vec::<Vec<u8>>::from_ssz_bytes(data) {
+        let encoded = v.to_ssz();
+        let decoded = Vec::<Vec<u8>>::from_ssz_bytes(&encoded).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(decoded, v, "Vec<Vec<u8>> roundtrip");
+    }
 });