diff --git a/scripts/base/init-bare.zeek b/scripts/base/init-bare.zeek
index 2723c8bc2d..7220c538f9 100644
--- a/scripts/base/init-bare.zeek
+++ b/scripts/base/init-bare.zeek
@@ -2988,6 +2988,16 @@ export {
 	##
 	## .. zeek:see:: smb_pipe_connect_heuristic
 	const SMB::pipe_filenames: set[string] &redef;
+
+	## The maximum number of messages for which to retain state
+	## about offsets, fids, or tree ids within the parser. When
+	## the limit is reached, internal parser state is discarded
+	## and :zeek:see:`smb2_discarded_messages_state` raised.
+	##
+	## Setting this to zero will disable the functionality.
+	##
+	## .. zeek:see:: smb2_discarded_messages_state
+	const SMB::max_pending_messages = 1000 &redef;
 }
 
 module SMB1;
diff --git a/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/consts.bif b/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/consts.bif
index 321875b43d..6acd464f6a 100644
--- a/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/consts.bif
+++ b/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/consts.bif
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
-const SMB::pipe_filenames: string_set;
\ No newline at end of file
+const SMB::pipe_filenames: string_set;
+const SMB::max_pending_messages: count;
diff --git a/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2-com-ioctl.pac b/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2-com-ioctl.pac
index 8d65312f9d..d37320ae68 100644
--- a/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2-com-ioctl.pac
+++ b/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2-com-ioctl.pac
@@ -17,6 +17,17 @@ refine connection SMB_Conn += {
 
 	function proc_smb2_ioctl_request(val: SMB2_ioctl_request) : bool
 		%{
+		if ( zeek::BifConst::SMB::max_pending_messages > 0 &&
+		     smb2_ioctl_fids.size() >= zeek::BifConst::SMB::max_pending_messages )
+			{
+			if ( smb2_discarded_messages_state )
+				zeek::BifEvent::enqueue_smb2_discarded_messages_state(zeek_analyzer(), zeek_analyzer()->Conn(),
+				                                                     zeek::make_intrusive<zeek::StringVal>("ioctl"));
+
+
+			smb2_ioctl_fids.clear();
+			}
+
 		smb2_ioctl_fids[${val.header.message_id}] = ${val.file_id.persistent} + ${val.file_id._volatile};
 		return true;
 		%}
diff --git a/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2-com-read.pac b/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2-com-read.pac
index 04679d804f..d9b2d7cf7f 100644
--- a/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2-com-read.pac
+++ b/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2-com-read.pac
@@ -34,6 +34,17 @@ refine connection SMB_Conn += {
 			                                    ${val.read_len});
 			}
 
+		if ( zeek::BifConst::SMB::max_pending_messages > 0 &&
+		     (smb2_read_offsets.size() >= zeek::BifConst::SMB::max_pending_messages ||
+		      smb2_read_fids.size() >= zeek::BifConst::SMB::max_pending_messages) )
+			{
+			if ( smb2_discarded_messages_state )
+				zeek::BifEvent::enqueue_smb2_discarded_messages_state(zeek_analyzer(), zeek_analyzer()->Conn(),
+				                                                      zeek::make_intrusive<zeek::StringVal>("read"));
+			smb2_read_offsets.clear();
+			smb2_read_fids.clear();
+			}
+
 		smb2_read_offsets[${h.message_id}] = ${val.offset};
 		smb2_read_fids[${h.message_id}] = ${val.file_id.persistent} + ${val.file_id._volatile};
 
diff --git a/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2-protocol.pac b/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2-protocol.pac
index 3c354d3216..f8126ba3bf 100644
--- a/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2-protocol.pac
+++ b/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2-protocol.pac
@@ -230,6 +230,16 @@ refine connection SMB_Conn += {
 		%{
 		if ( is_orig )
 			{
+			if ( zeek::BifConst::SMB::max_pending_messages > 0 &&
+			     smb2_request_tree_id.size() >= zeek::BifConst::SMB::max_pending_messages )
+				{
+				if ( smb2_discarded_messages_state )
+					zeek::BifEvent::enqueue_smb2_discarded_messages_state(zeek_analyzer(), zeek_analyzer()->Conn(),
+					                                                     zeek::make_intrusive<zeek::StringVal>("tree"));
+
+				smb2_request_tree_id.clear();
+				}
+
 			// Store the tree_id
 			smb2_request_tree_id[${h.message_id}] = ${h.tree_id};
 			}
diff --git a/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2_events.bif b/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2_events.bif
index 2071a0600e..9ef661df77 100644
--- a/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2_events.bif
+++ b/src/analyzer/protocol/smb/smb2_events.bif
@@ -15,3 +15,16 @@
 ##
 ## .. zeek:see:: smb1_message
 event smb2_message%(c: connection, hdr: SMB2::Header, is_orig: bool%);
+
+## Generated for :abbr:`SMB (Server Message Block)`/:abbr:`CIFS (Common Internet File System)`
+## version 2 connections for which pending read, ioctl or tree requests exceeds
+## the :zeek:see:`SMB::max_pending_messages` setting. This event indicates either
+## traffic loss, traffic load-balancing issues, or failures to parse or match
+## SMB responses with SMB requests. When this event is raised, internal per-connection
+## parser state has been reset.
+##
+## c: The affected connection.
+##
+## state: String describing what kind of state was affected.
+##        One of read, ioctl or tree.
+event smb2_discarded_messages_state%(c: connection, state: string%);