diff --git a/.idea/vcs.xml b/.idea/vcs.xml
index 48557884a8893..c668657daf908 100644
--- a/.idea/vcs.xml
+++ b/.idea/vcs.xml
@@ -1,20 +1,20 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <project version="4">
-    <component name="IssueNavigationConfiguration">
-        <option name="links">
-            <list>
-                <IssueNavigationLink>
-                    <option name="issueRegexp" value="#(\d+)" />
-                    <option name="linkRegexp" value="https://github.com/opensearch-project/OpenSearch/pulls/$1" />
-                </IssueNavigationLink>
-                <IssueNavigationLink>
-                    <option name="issueRegexp" value="#(\d+)" />
-                    <option name="linkRegexp" value="https://github.com/opensearch-project/OpenSearch/issues/$1" />
-                </IssueNavigationLink>
-            </list>
-        </option>
-    </component>
+  <component name="IssueNavigationConfiguration">
+    <option name="links">
+      <list>
+        <IssueNavigationLink>
+          <option name="issueRegexp" value="#(\d+)" />
+          <option name="linkRegexp" value="https://github.com/opensearch-project/OpenSearch/pulls/$1" />
+        </IssueNavigationLink>
+        <IssueNavigationLink>
+          <option name="issueRegexp" value="#(\d+)" />
+          <option name="linkRegexp" value="https://github.com/opensearch-project/OpenSearch/issues/$1" />
+        </IssueNavigationLink>
+      </list>
+    </option>
+  </component>
   <component name="VcsDirectoryMappings">
-    <mapping directory="$PROJECT_DIR$" vcs="Git" />
+    <mapping directory="" vcs="Git" />
   </component>
-</project>
+</project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/common/cache/tier/DiskTierTookTimePolicy.java b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/common/cache/tier/DiskTierTookTimePolicy.java
index f5c52b5f0afd8..15044ac603c5a 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/common/cache/tier/DiskTierTookTimePolicy.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/opensearch/common/cache/tier/DiskTierTookTimePolicy.java
@@ -54,18 +54,23 @@ protected void setThreshold(TimeValue threshold) { // protected so that we can m
 
     @Override
     public boolean checkData(BytesReference data) {
-        if (threshold.equals(TimeValue.ZERO)) {
-            return true;
-        }
         Long tookTimeNanos;
         try {
             tookTimeNanos = getPolicyInfoFn.apply(data).getTookTimeNanos();
         } catch (Exception e) {
-            // If we can't retrieve the took time for whatever reason, admit the data to be safe
-            return true;
+            // If we can't read a CachePolicyInfoWrapper from the BytesReference, reject the data
+            return false;
         }
+
         if (tookTimeNanos == null) {
-            // Received a null took time -> this QSR is from an old version which does not have took time, we should accept it
+            // If the wrapper contains null took time, reject the data
+            // This can happen if no CachePolicyInfoWrapper was written to the BytesReference, as the wrapper's constructor
+            // reads an optional long, which will end up as null in this case. This is why we should reject it.
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        if (threshold.equals(TimeValue.ZERO)) {
+            // If the policy is set to zero, admit any well-formed data
             return true;
         }
         TimeValue tookTime = TimeValue.timeValueNanos(tookTimeNanos);
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/common/cache/tier/DiskTierTookTimePolicyTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/common/cache/tier/DiskTierTookTimePolicyTests.java
index 31333c3c0a9d0..5dbc2d2706091 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/common/cache/tier/DiskTierTookTimePolicyTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/opensearch/common/cache/tier/DiskTierTookTimePolicyTests.java
@@ -83,6 +83,38 @@ public void testTookTimePolicy() throws Exception {
         assertTrue(longResult);
     }
 
+    public void testMissingWrapper() throws Exception {
+        DiskTierTookTimePolicy tookTimePolicy = getTookTimePolicy();
+        tookTimePolicy.setThreshold(TimeValue.ZERO);
+        QuerySearchResult qsr = getQSR();
+        BytesStreamOutput out = new BytesStreamOutput();
+        qsr.writeTo(out);
+        BytesReference missingWrapper = out.bytes();
+        boolean allowedMissingWrapper = tookTimePolicy.checkData(missingWrapper);
+        assertFalse(allowedMissingWrapper);
+    }
+
+    public void testNullTookTime() throws Exception {
+        // Null took time should always be rejected (because it might be the result of a
+        // BytesReference without a CachePolicyInfoWrapper in front of it)
+
+        DiskTierTookTimePolicy zeroThreshold = getTookTimePolicy();
+        zeroThreshold.setThreshold(TimeValue.ZERO);
+        DiskTierTookTimePolicy nonZeroThreshold = getTookTimePolicy();
+        nonZeroThreshold.setThreshold(new TimeValue(10L));
+
+        Long nullTookTime = null;
+        CachePolicyInfoWrapper nullWrapper = new CachePolicyInfoWrapper(nullTookTime);
+        BytesStreamOutput out = new BytesStreamOutput();
+        nullWrapper.writeTo(out);
+        QuerySearchResult qsr = getQSR();
+        qsr.writeTo(out);
+        BytesReference data = out.bytes();
+
+        assertFalse(zeroThreshold.checkData(data));
+        assertFalse(nonZeroThreshold.checkData(data));
+    }
+
     public static QuerySearchResult getQSR() {
         // package-private, also used by IndicesRequestCacheTests.java
         // setup from QuerySearchResultTests.java