diff --git a/spring-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/resource/ResourceHandlerUtils.java b/spring-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/resource/ResourceHandlerUtils.java
index 8a45d15bfcc..2e95c58fd5b 100644
--- a/spring-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/resource/ResourceHandlerUtils.java
+++ b/spring-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/resource/ResourceHandlerUtils.java
@@ -19,12 +19,14 @@ package org.springframework.web.reactive.resource;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.URLDecoder;
 import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.util.Locale;
 
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.jspecify.annotations.Nullable;
 
 import org.springframework.core.io.ClassPathResource;
+import org.springframework.core.io.ContextResource;
 import org.springframework.core.io.FileSystemResource;
 import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
 import org.springframework.core.io.UrlResource;
@@ -51,7 +53,8 @@ public abstract class ResourceHandlerUtils {
 
 
 	/**
-	 * Assert the given location is not null, and its path ends on slash.
+	 * Assert the given location is valid.
+	 * Location should not be null, its path ends with a slash, and not be an unsafe location.
 	 */
 	@SuppressWarnings("removal")
 	public static void assertResourceLocation(@Nullable Resource location) {
@@ -66,6 +69,17 @@ public abstract class ResourceHandlerUtils {
 			}
 			else if (location instanceof ClassPathResource classPathResource) {
 				path = classPathResource.getPath();
+				if (path.isEmpty() || "/".equals(path)) {
+					logger.warn("Resource location '" + location + "' is considered unsafe " +
+							"and should not be used as it provides access to the entire classpath.");
+				}
+			}
+			else if (location instanceof ContextResource contextResource) {
+				path = contextResource.getPathWithinContext();
+				if ("/".equals(path)) {
+					logger.warn("Resource location '" + location + "' is considered unsafe " +
+							"and should not be used as it provides access to the root servlet context.");
+				}
 			}
 			else if (location instanceof UrlResource) {
 				path = location.getURL().toExternalForm();
@@ -175,7 +189,8 @@ public abstract class ResourceHandlerUtils {
 	 * @return {@code true} if the path is invalid, {@code false} otherwise
 	 */
 	public static boolean isInvalidPath(String path) {
-		if (path.contains("WEB-INF") || path.contains("META-INF")) {
+		String pathLowerCase = path.toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT);
+		if (pathLowerCase.contains("web-inf") || pathLowerCase.contains("meta-inf")) {
 			if (logger.isWarnEnabled()) {
 				logger.warn(LogFormatUtils.formatValue(
 						"Path with \"WEB-INF\" or \"META-INF\": [" + path + "]", -1, true));
diff --git a/spring-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/resource/ResourceWebHandler.java b/spring-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/resource/ResourceWebHandler.java
index 3704dcb8d09..bec8e49980b 100644
--- a/spring-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/resource/ResourceWebHandler.java
+++ b/spring-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/resource/ResourceWebHandler.java
@@ -153,10 +153,7 @@ public class ResourceWebHandler implements WebHandler, InitializingBean {
 	public void setLocations(@Nullable List<Resource> locations) {
 		this.locationResources.clear();
 		if (locations != null) {
-			for (Resource location : locations) {
-				ResourceHandlerUtils.assertResourceLocation(location);
-				this.locationResources.add(location);
-			}
+			this.locationResources.addAll(locations);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -373,6 +370,10 @@ public class ResourceWebHandler implements WebHandler, InitializingBean {
 			}
 		}
 
+		for (Resource location : result) {
+			ResourceHandlerUtils.assertResourceLocation(location);
+		}
+
 		if (isOptimizeLocations()) {
 			result = result.stream().filter(Resource::exists).toList();
 		}
diff --git a/spring-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/resource/ResourceHandlerUtils.java b/spring-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/resource/ResourceHandlerUtils.java
index 8717cfefcc9..5b1a133c8fa 100644
--- a/spring-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/resource/ResourceHandlerUtils.java
+++ b/spring-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/resource/ResourceHandlerUtils.java
@@ -19,12 +19,14 @@ package org.springframework.web.servlet.resource;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.URLDecoder;
 import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.util.Locale;
 
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.jspecify.annotations.Nullable;
 
 import org.springframework.core.io.ClassPathResource;
+import org.springframework.core.io.ContextResource;
 import org.springframework.core.io.FileSystemResource;
 import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
 import org.springframework.core.io.UrlResource;
@@ -52,7 +54,8 @@ public abstract class ResourceHandlerUtils {
 
 
 	/**
-	 * Assert the given location is not null, and its path ends on slash.
+	 * Assert the given location is valid.
+	 * Location should not be null, its path ends with a slash, and not be an unsafe location.
 	 */
 	@SuppressWarnings("removal")
 	public static void assertResourceLocation(@Nullable Resource location) {
@@ -67,6 +70,17 @@ public abstract class ResourceHandlerUtils {
 			}
 			else if (location instanceof ClassPathResource classPathResource) {
 				path = classPathResource.getPath();
+				if (path.isEmpty() || "/".equals(path)) {
+					logger.warn("Resource location '" + location + "' is considered unsafe " +
+							"and should not be used as it provides access to the entire classpath.");
+				}
+			}
+			else if (location instanceof ContextResource contextResource) {
+				path = contextResource.getPathWithinContext();
+				if ("/".equals(path)) {
+					logger.warn("Resource location '" + location + "' is considered unsafe " +
+							"and should not be used as it provides access to the root servlet context.");
+				}
 			}
 			else if (location instanceof UrlResource) {
 				path = location.getURL().toExternalForm();
@@ -176,7 +190,8 @@ public abstract class ResourceHandlerUtils {
 	 * @return {@code true} if the path is invalid, {@code false} otherwise
 	 */
 	public static boolean isInvalidPath(String path) {
-		if (path.contains("WEB-INF") || path.contains("META-INF")) {
+		String pathLowerCase = path.toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT);
+		if (pathLowerCase.contains("web-inf") || pathLowerCase.contains("meta-inf")) {
 			if (logger.isWarnEnabled()) {
 				logger.warn(LogFormatUtils.formatValue(
 						"Path with \"WEB-INF\" or \"META-INF\": [" + path + "]", -1, true));
diff --git a/spring-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/resource/ResourceHttpRequestHandler.java b/spring-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/resource/ResourceHttpRequestHandler.java
index 72e04b077d7..1689bce5184 100644
--- a/spring-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/resource/ResourceHttpRequestHandler.java
+++ b/spring-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/resource/ResourceHttpRequestHandler.java
@@ -170,10 +170,7 @@ public class ResourceHttpRequestHandler extends WebContentGenerator
 	public void setLocations(List<Resource> locations) {
 		Assert.notNull(locations, "Locations list must not be null");
 		this.locationResources.clear();
-		for (Resource location : locations) {
-			ResourceHandlerUtils.assertResourceLocation(location);
-			this.locationResources.add(location);
-		}
+		this.locationResources.addAll(locations);
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -471,6 +468,10 @@ public class ResourceHttpRequestHandler extends WebContentGenerator
 		}
 
 		result.addAll(this.locationResources);
+		for (Resource location : result) {
+			ResourceHandlerUtils.assertResourceLocation(location);
+		}
+
 		if (isOptimizeLocations()) {
 			result = result.stream().filter(Resource::exists).toList();
 		}