diff --git a/cmd/restic/cmd_backup.go b/cmd/restic/cmd_backup.go
index 62f2184ae..acb5500fd 100644
--- a/cmd/restic/cmd_backup.go
+++ b/cmd/restic/cmd_backup.go
@@ -591,10 +591,13 @@ func runBackup(ctx context.Context, opts BackupOptions, gopts GlobalOptions, ter
 				return err
 			}
 		}
-		targetFS = fs.NewReader(filename, source, fs.ReaderOptions{
+		targetFS, err = fs.NewReader(filename, source, fs.ReaderOptions{
 			ModTime: timeStamp,
 			Mode:    0644,
 		})
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to backup from stdin: %w", err)
+		}
 		targets = []string{filename}
 	}
 
diff --git a/internal/archiver/archiver_test.go b/internal/archiver/archiver_test.go
index 7b511ec84..906c83011 100644
--- a/internal/archiver/archiver_test.go
+++ b/internal/archiver/archiver_test.go
@@ -174,10 +174,11 @@ func TestArchiverSaveFileReaderFS(t *testing.T) {
 
 			ts := time.Now()
 			filename := "xx"
-			readerFs := fs.NewReader(filename, io.NopCloser(strings.NewReader(test.Data)), fs.ReaderOptions{
+			readerFs, err := fs.NewReader(filename, io.NopCloser(strings.NewReader(test.Data)), fs.ReaderOptions{
 				ModTime: ts,
 				Mode:    0123,
 			})
+			rtest.OK(t, err)
 
 			node, stats := saveFile(t, repo, filename, readerFs)
 
@@ -286,11 +287,11 @@ func TestArchiverSaveReaderFS(t *testing.T) {
 
 			ts := time.Now()
 			filename := "xx"
-			readerFs := fs.NewReader(filename, io.NopCloser(strings.NewReader(test.Data)), fs.ReaderOptions{
+			readerFs, err := fs.NewReader(filename, io.NopCloser(strings.NewReader(test.Data)), fs.ReaderOptions{
 				ModTime: ts,
 				Mode:    0123,
 			})
-
+			rtest.OK(t, err)
 			arch := New(repo, readerFs, Options{})
 			arch.Error = func(item string, err error) error {
 				t.Errorf("archiver error for %v: %v", item, err)
diff --git a/internal/fs/fs_reader.go b/internal/fs/fs_reader.go
index 97e09d1d2..c4e98be0f 100644
--- a/internal/fs/fs_reader.go
+++ b/internal/fs/fs_reader.go
@@ -42,9 +42,12 @@ type readerItem struct {
 // statically ensure that Local implements FS.
 var _ FS = &Reader{}
 
-func NewReader(name string, r io.ReadCloser, opts ReaderOptions) *Reader {
+func NewReader(name string, r io.ReadCloser, opts ReaderOptions) (*Reader, error) {
 	items := make(map[string]readerItem)
 	name = readerCleanPath(name)
+	if name == "/" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid filename specified")
+	}
 
 	isFile := true
 	for {
@@ -89,7 +92,7 @@ func NewReader(name string, r io.ReadCloser, opts ReaderOptions) *Reader {
 	}
 	return &Reader{
 		items: items,
-	}
+	}, nil
 }
 
 func readerCleanPath(name string) string {
diff --git a/internal/fs/fs_reader_test.go b/internal/fs/fs_reader_test.go
index bde097d5c..083e8a1a5 100644
--- a/internal/fs/fs_reader_test.go
+++ b/internal/fs/fs_reader_test.go
@@ -185,15 +185,16 @@ func TestFSReader(t *testing.T) {
 	tests = append(tests, createFileTest(filename, now, data)...)
 	tests = append(tests, createDirTest("", now)...)
 
-	for _, test := range tests {
-		fs := NewReader(filename, io.NopCloser(bytes.NewReader(data)), ReaderOptions{
+	for _, tst := range tests {
+		fs, err := NewReader(filename, io.NopCloser(bytes.NewReader(data)), ReaderOptions{
 			Mode:    0644,
 			Size:    int64(len(data)),
 			ModTime: now,
 		})
+		test.OK(t, err)
 
-		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			test.f(t, fs)
+		t.Run(tst.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			tst.f(t, fs)
 		})
 	}
 }
@@ -211,15 +212,16 @@ func TestFSReaderNested(t *testing.T) {
 	tests = append(tests, createDirTest("foo", now)...)
 	tests = append(tests, createDirTest("foo/sub", now)...)
 
-	for _, test := range tests {
-		fs := NewReader(filename, io.NopCloser(bytes.NewReader(data)), ReaderOptions{
+	for _, tst := range tests {
+		fs, err := NewReader(filename, io.NopCloser(bytes.NewReader(data)), ReaderOptions{
 			Mode:    0644,
 			Size:    int64(len(data)),
 			ModTime: now,
 		})
+		test.OK(t, err)
 
-		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			test.f(t, fs)
+		t.Run(tst.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			tst.f(t, fs)
 		})
 	}
 }
@@ -244,12 +246,12 @@ func TestFSReaderDir(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, tst := range tests {
 		t.Run(tst.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			fs := NewReader(tst.filename, io.NopCloser(bytes.NewReader(data)), ReaderOptions{
+			fs, err := NewReader(tst.filename, io.NopCloser(bytes.NewReader(data)), ReaderOptions{
 				Mode:    0644,
 				Size:    int64(len(data)),
 				ModTime: now,
 			})
-
+			test.OK(t, err)
 			dir := path.Dir(tst.filename)
 			for {
 				if dir == "/" || dir == "." {
@@ -294,12 +296,12 @@ func TestFSReaderMinFileSize(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, tst := range tests {
 		t.Run(tst.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			fs := NewReader("testfile", io.NopCloser(strings.NewReader(tst.data)), ReaderOptions{
+			fs, err := NewReader("testfile", io.NopCloser(strings.NewReader(tst.data)), ReaderOptions{
 				Mode:           0644,
 				ModTime:        time.Now(),
 				AllowEmptyFile: tst.allowEmpty,
 			})
-
+			test.OK(t, err)
 			f, err := fs.OpenFile("testfile", O_RDONLY, false)
 			test.OK(t, err)
 
diff --git a/internal/restorer/restorer_test.go b/internal/restorer/restorer_test.go
index cd0307359..0b5e34d12 100644
--- a/internal/restorer/restorer_test.go
+++ b/internal/restorer/restorer_test.go
@@ -908,11 +908,12 @@ func TestRestorerSparseFiles(t *testing.T) {
 
 	var zeros [1<<20 + 13]byte
 
-	target := fs.NewReader("/zeros", io.NopCloser(bytes.NewReader(zeros[:])), fs.ReaderOptions{
+	target, err := fs.NewReader("/zeros", io.NopCloser(bytes.NewReader(zeros[:])), fs.ReaderOptions{
 		Mode: 0600,
 	})
+	rtest.OK(t, err)
 	sc := archiver.NewScanner(target)
-	err := sc.Scan(context.TODO(), []string{"/zeros"})
+	err = sc.Scan(context.TODO(), []string{"/zeros"})
 	rtest.OK(t, err)
 
 	arch := archiver.New(repo, target, archiver.Options{})