diff --git a/cpp/src/arrow/ipc/metadata_internal.cc b/cpp/src/arrow/ipc/metadata_internal.cc
index 7f2a47b06947..4923be553f5a 100644
--- a/cpp/src/arrow/ipc/metadata_internal.cc
+++ b/cpp/src/arrow/ipc/metadata_internal.cc
@@ -1526,10 +1526,19 @@ Status GetSparseCSFIndexMetadata(const flatbuf::SparseTensorIndexCSF* sparse_ind
   RETURN_NOT_OK(IntFromFlatbuffer(sparse_index->indptrType(), indptr_type));
   RETURN_NOT_OK(IntFromFlatbuffer(sparse_index->indicesType(), indices_type));
 
-  const int ndim = static_cast<int>(sparse_index->axisOrder()->size());
+  auto* fb_axis_order = sparse_index->axisOrder();
+  auto* fb_indices_buffers = sparse_index->indicesBuffers();
+  if (fb_axis_order == nullptr || fb_indices_buffers == nullptr ||
+      fb_axis_order->size() != fb_indices_buffers->size()) {
+    return Status::Invalid(
+        "Inconsistent CSF sparse index: axisOrder and indicesBuffers have different "
+        "lengths");
+  }
+
+  const int ndim = static_cast<int>(fb_axis_order->size());
   for (int i = 0; i < ndim; ++i) {
-    axis_order->push_back(sparse_index->axisOrder()->Get(i));
-    indices_size->push_back(sparse_index->indicesBuffers()->Get(i)->length());
+    axis_order->push_back(fb_axis_order->Get(i));
+    indices_size->push_back(fb_indices_buffers->Get(i)->length());
   }
 
   return Status::OK();
diff --git a/cpp/src/arrow/ipc/reader.cc b/cpp/src/arrow/ipc/reader.cc
index 512305d6570a..0b66f4e5f67b 100644
--- a/cpp/src/arrow/ipc/reader.cc
+++ b/cpp/src/arrow/ipc/reader.cc
@@ -2374,6 +2374,13 @@ Result<std::shared_ptr<SparseIndex>> ReadSparseCSFIndex(
   const auto ndim = static_cast<int64_t>(shape.size());
   auto* indptr_buffers = sparse_index->indptrBuffers();
   auto* indices_buffers = sparse_index->indicesBuffers();
+  if (ndim < 1 || indptr_buffers == nullptr || indices_buffers == nullptr ||
+      static_cast<int64_t>(indptr_buffers->size()) != ndim - 1 ||
+      static_cast<int64_t>(indices_buffers->size()) != ndim) {
+    return Status::Invalid(
+        "Inconsistent CSF sparse index: buffer counts do not match the number of "
+        "dimensions");
+  }
   std::vector<std::shared_ptr<Buffer>> indptr_data(ndim - 1);
   std::vector<std::shared_ptr<Buffer>> indices_data(ndim);