diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/ExceptionsHelper.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/ExceptionsHelper.java
index e4269a375dd6c..94c4a2731592a 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/ExceptionsHelper.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/ExceptionsHelper.java
@@ -175,12 +175,42 @@ public static <T extends Throwable> T useOrSuppress(T first, T second) {
         return first;
     }
 
+    private static final List<Class<? extends IOException>> CORRUPTION_EXCEPTIONS =
+        Arrays.asList(CorruptIndexException.class, IndexFormatTooOldException.class, IndexFormatTooNewException.class);
+
+    /**
+     * Looks at the given Throwable's and its cause(s) as well as any suppressed exceptions on the Throwable as well as its causes
+     * and returns the first corruption indicating exception (as defined by {@link #CORRUPTION_EXCEPTIONS}) it finds.
+     * @param t Throwable
+     * @return Corruption indicating exception if one is found, otherwise {@code null}
+     */
     public static IOException unwrapCorruption(Throwable t) {
-        return (IOException) unwrap(t, CorruptIndexException.class,
-                                       IndexFormatTooOldException.class,
-                                       IndexFormatTooNewException.class);
+        if (t != null) {
+            do {
+                for (Class<?> clazz : CORRUPTION_EXCEPTIONS) {
+                    if (clazz.isInstance(t)) {
+                        return (IOException) t;
+                    }
+                }
+                for (Throwable suppressed : t.getSuppressed()) {
+                    IOException corruptionException = unwrapCorruption(suppressed);
+                    if (corruptionException != null) {
+                        return corruptionException;
+                    }
+                }
+            } while ((t = t.getCause()) != null);
+        }
+        return null;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Looks at the given Throwable and its cause(s) and returns the first Throwable that is of one of the given classes or {@code null}
+     * if no matching Throwable is found. Unlike {@link #unwrapCorruption} this method does only check the given Throwable and its causes
+     * but does not look at any suppressed exceptions.
+     * @param t Throwable
+     * @param clazzes Classes to look for
+     * @return Matching Throwable if one is found, otherwise {@code null}
+     */
     public static Throwable unwrap(Throwable t, Class<?>... clazzes) {
         if (t != null) {
             do {
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ExceptionsHelperTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ExceptionsHelperTests.java
index 1d2a4ca6d5f75..2de2f259e6ff1 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ExceptionsHelperTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/ExceptionsHelperTests.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 package org.elasticsearch;
 
 import org.apache.commons.codec.DecoderException;
+import org.apache.lucene.index.CorruptIndexException;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.OriginalIndices;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.ShardOperationFailedException;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.search.ShardSearchFailure;
@@ -183,4 +184,31 @@ public void testGroupByNullIndex() {
         ShardOperationFailedException[] groupBy = ExceptionsHelper.groupBy(failures);
         assertThat(groupBy.length, equalTo(2));
     }
+
+    public void testUnwrapCorruption() {
+        final Throwable corruptIndexException = new CorruptIndexException("corrupt", "resource");
+        assertThat(ExceptionsHelper.unwrapCorruption(corruptIndexException), equalTo(corruptIndexException));
+
+        final Throwable corruptionAsCause = new RuntimeException(corruptIndexException);
+        assertThat(ExceptionsHelper.unwrapCorruption(corruptionAsCause), equalTo(corruptIndexException));
+
+        final Throwable corruptionSuppressed = new RuntimeException();
+        corruptionSuppressed.addSuppressed(corruptIndexException);
+        assertThat(ExceptionsHelper.unwrapCorruption(corruptionSuppressed), equalTo(corruptIndexException));
+
+        final Throwable corruptionSuppressedOnCause = new RuntimeException(new RuntimeException());
+        corruptionSuppressedOnCause.getCause().addSuppressed(corruptIndexException);
+        assertThat(ExceptionsHelper.unwrapCorruption(corruptionSuppressedOnCause), equalTo(corruptIndexException));
+
+        final Throwable corruptionCauseOnSuppressed = new RuntimeException();
+        corruptionCauseOnSuppressed.addSuppressed(new RuntimeException(corruptIndexException));
+        assertThat(ExceptionsHelper.unwrapCorruption(corruptionCauseOnSuppressed), equalTo(corruptIndexException));
+
+        assertThat(ExceptionsHelper.unwrapCorruption(new RuntimeException()), nullValue());
+        assertThat(ExceptionsHelper.unwrapCorruption(new RuntimeException(new RuntimeException())), nullValue());
+
+        final Throwable withSuppressedException = new RuntimeException();
+        withSuppressedException.addSuppressed(new RuntimeException());
+        assertThat(ExceptionsHelper.unwrapCorruption(withSuppressedException), nullValue());
+    }
 }
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/recovery/RecoverySourceHandlerTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/recovery/RecoverySourceHandlerTests.java
index ae6eae8656403..dac02f6fe9766 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/recovery/RecoverySourceHandlerTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/recovery/RecoverySourceHandlerTests.java
@@ -436,10 +436,12 @@ protected void failEngine(IOException cause) {
             handler.sendFiles(store, metas.toArray(new StoreFileMetaData[0]), () -> 0);
             fail("exception index");
         } catch (RuntimeException ex) {
-            assertNull(ExceptionsHelper.unwrapCorruption(ex));
+            final IOException unwrappedCorruption = ExceptionsHelper.unwrapCorruption(ex);
             if (throwCorruptedIndexException) {
+                assertNotNull(unwrappedCorruption);
                 assertEquals(ex.getMessage(), "[File corruption occurred on recovery but checksums are ok]");
             } else {
+                assertNull(unwrappedCorruption);
                 assertEquals(ex.getMessage(), "boom");
             }
         } catch (CorruptIndexException ex) {