diff --git a/daemon/logger/splunk/splunk.go b/daemon/logger/splunk/splunk.go
index 39f2e5af7ea08..8c1237ecfb633 100644
--- a/daemon/logger/splunk/splunk.go
+++ b/daemon/logger/splunk/splunk.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/docker/docker/daemon/logger/loggerutils"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/pools"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/urlutil"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/vendor/github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/google/uuid"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
@@ -236,6 +237,9 @@ func New(info logger.Info) (logger.Logger, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
+		if value < 0 {
+			return nil, errors.Errorf("negative timeout provided: %v", value)
+		}
 		timeout = value
 	}
 
diff --git a/daemon/logger/splunk/splunk_test.go b/daemon/logger/splunk/splunk_test.go
index 5364b38440421..02f033df04b07 100644
--- a/daemon/logger/splunk/splunk_test.go
+++ b/daemon/logger/splunk/splunk_test.go
@@ -1449,3 +1449,24 @@ func TestCustomHttpTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestNegativeTimeout(t *testing.T) {
+	info := logger.Info{
+		Config: map[string]string{
+			splunkURLKey:      "http://localhost:8000",
+			splunkTokenKey:    "1234",
+			splunkHTTPTimeout: "-100ms",
+		},
+		ContainerID:        "containeriid",
+		ContainerName:      "/container_name",
+		ContainerImageID:   "contaimageid",
+		ContainerImageName: "container_image_name",
+	}
+	_, err := New(info)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("no error")
+	}
+	if err.Error() != "negative timeout provided: -100ms" {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error message: %s", err.Error())
+	}
+}