diff --git a/components/camel-jetty/src/test/java/org/apache/camel/component/jetty/rest/RestJettyRequiredBodyTest.java b/components/camel-jetty/src/test/java/org/apache/camel/component/jetty/rest/RestJettyRequiredBodyTest.java
index 093bbb58f1f78..2616e574a7e93 100644
--- a/components/camel-jetty/src/test/java/org/apache/camel/component/jetty/rest/RestJettyRequiredBodyTest.java
+++ b/components/camel-jetty/src/test/java/org/apache/camel/component/jetty/rest/RestJettyRequiredBodyTest.java
@@ -26,11 +26,15 @@
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 
 import static org.apache.camel.test.junit6.TestSupport.assertIsInstanceOf;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertArrayEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
 
 public class RestJettyRequiredBodyTest extends BaseJettyTest {
 
+    // bytes that are not valid UTF-8, so they would be replaced if the body was turned into a String
+    private static final byte[] BINARY_BODY = { 0x00, 0x01, (byte) 0xFF, (byte) 0xFE, (byte) 0x80, 0x7F, (byte) 0xC3, 0x28 };
+
     @Test
     public void testJettyValid() {
         String out = fluentTemplate.withHeader(Exchange.CONTENT_TYPE, "application/json")
@@ -70,6 +74,18 @@ public void testJettyInvalidEmptyBody() {
         assertEquals("The request body is missing.", cause.getResponseBody());
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testJettyBinaryBodyNotCorrupted() {
+        byte[] out = fluentTemplate.withHeader(Exchange.CONTENT_TYPE, "application/octet-stream")
+                .withHeader("Accept", "application/octet-stream")
+                .withHeader(Exchange.HTTP_METHOD, "post")
+                .withBody(BINARY_BODY)
+                .to("http://localhost:" + getPort() + "/users/123/upload")
+                .request(byte[].class);
+
+        assertArrayEquals(BINARY_BODY, out);
+    }
+
     @Override
     protected RouteBuilder createRouteBuilder() {
         return new RouteBuilder() {
@@ -85,6 +101,13 @@ public void configure() {
                         .name("body").required(true).type(RestParamType.body)
                         .endParam().to("direct:update");
                 from("direct:update").setBody(constant("{ \"status\": \"ok\" }"));
+
+                // a binary service that echoes back what it received
+                rest("/users/").post("{id}/upload").consumes("application/octet-stream")
+                        .produces("application/octet-stream").param()
+                        .name("body").required(true).type(RestParamType.body)
+                        .endParam().to("direct:upload");
+                from("direct:upload").setBody(bodyAs(byte[].class));
             }
         };
     }
diff --git a/core/camel-support/src/main/java/org/apache/camel/support/processor/DefaultRestClientRequestValidator.java b/core/camel-support/src/main/java/org/apache/camel/support/processor/DefaultRestClientRequestValidator.java
index a9add96dfeaa5..af9ca20a755ef 100644
--- a/core/camel-support/src/main/java/org/apache/camel/support/processor/DefaultRestClientRequestValidator.java
+++ b/core/camel-support/src/main/java/org/apache/camel/support/processor/DefaultRestClientRequestValidator.java
@@ -74,11 +74,11 @@ public ValidationError validate(Exchange exchange, ValidationContext validationC
         Object body = exchange.getMessage().getBody();
         if (validationContext.requiredBody()) {
             // the body is required, so we need to know if we have a body or not
-            // so force reading the body as a String which we can work with
+            // so force reading the body as a String which we can work with.
+            // extractBodyAsString uses stream caching so the message body stays re-readable,
+            // and the body is deliberately not replaced with the String as that would
+            // corrupt binary payloads such as application/octet-stream
             body = MessageHelper.extractBodyAsString(exchange.getIn());
-            if (ObjectHelper.isNotEmpty(body)) {
-                exchange.getIn().setBody(body);
-            }
             if (ObjectHelper.isEmpty(body)) {
                 // this is a bad request, the client did not include a message body
                 return new ValidationError(400, "The request body is missing.");
diff --git a/docs/user-manual/modules/ROOT/pages/camel-4x-upgrade-guide-4_23.adoc b/docs/user-manual/modules/ROOT/pages/camel-4x-upgrade-guide-4_23.adoc
index 69a1910ad9844..39ac96390335e 100644
--- a/docs/user-manual/modules/ROOT/pages/camel-4x-upgrade-guide-4_23.adoc
+++ b/docs/user-manual/modules/ROOT/pages/camel-4x-upgrade-guide-4_23.adoc
@@ -1252,3 +1252,10 @@ Local downloads configured with a plain `downloadFileName` directory now resolve
 path segments before checking that the destination remains inside that directory. Downloads through a
 symbolic link that resolves outside the configured directory are rejected. Valid object names using `/`
 as a pseudo-directory separator continue to work.
+
+=== camel-core - REST client request validation and binary bodies
+
+When `clientRequestValidation` is enabled and the REST service declares a required body, the incoming
+message body is no longer replaced with a `String` version of itself. That conversion corrupted binary
+payloads such as `application/octet-stream`. The body is still read to check that it is present, using
+stream caching so it stays re-readable, but it now keeps its original type.