diff --git a/jdk/src/share/classes/java/sql/Date.java b/jdk/src/share/classes/java/sql/Date.java
index 39cf98ce93f..7c2356e75c2 100644
--- a/jdk/src/share/classes/java/sql/Date.java
+++ b/jdk/src/share/classes/java/sql/Date.java
@@ -103,27 +103,46 @@ public class Date extends java.util.Date {
      *         JDBC date escape format (yyyy-mm-dd)
      */
     public static Date valueOf(String s) {
-        int year;
-        int month;
-        int day;
+        final int YEAR_LENGTH = 4;
+        final int MONTH_LENGTH = 2;
+        final int DAY_LENGTH = 2;
+        final int MAX_MONTH = 12;
+        final int MAX_DAY = 31;
         int firstDash;
         int secondDash;
+        Date d = null;
 
-        if (s == null) throw new java.lang.IllegalArgumentException();
-
-        firstDash = s.indexOf('-');
-        secondDash = s.indexOf('-', firstDash+1);
-        if ((firstDash > 0) & (secondDash > 0) & (secondDash < s.length()-1)) {
-            year = Integer.parseInt(s.substring(0, firstDash)) - 1900;
-            month = Integer.parseInt(s.substring(firstDash+1, secondDash)) - 1;
-            day = Integer.parseInt(s.substring(secondDash+1));
-        } else {
+        if (s == null) {
             throw new java.lang.IllegalArgumentException();
         }
 
-        return new Date(year, month, day);
+        firstDash = s.indexOf('-');
+        secondDash = s.indexOf('-', firstDash + 1);
+
+        if ((firstDash > 0) && (secondDash > 0) && (secondDash < s.length() - 1)) {
+            String yyyy = s.substring(0, firstDash);
+            String mm = s.substring(firstDash + 1, secondDash);
+            String dd = s.substring(secondDash + 1);
+            if (yyyy.length() == YEAR_LENGTH && mm.length() == MONTH_LENGTH &&
+                    dd.length() == DAY_LENGTH) {
+                int year = Integer.parseInt(yyyy);
+                int month = Integer.parseInt(mm);
+                int day = Integer.parseInt(dd);
+
+                if ((month >= 1 && month <= MAX_MONTH) && (day >= 1 && day <= MAX_DAY)) {
+                    d = new Date(year - 1900, month - 1, day);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        if (d == null) {
+            throw new java.lang.IllegalArgumentException();
+        }
+
+        return d;
+
     }
 
+
     /**
      * Formats a date in the date escape format yyyy-mm-dd.
      * <P>