diff --git a/modules/netcheck/cmd/netcheck/request.go b/modules/netcheck/cmd/netcheck/request.go
index fb9287d3..af6327d1 100644
--- a/modules/netcheck/cmd/netcheck/request.go
+++ b/modules/netcheck/cmd/netcheck/request.go
@@ -82,6 +82,39 @@ func guardDial(_, address string, _ syscall.RawConn) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// shortFormAddress: a host made only of numeric labels (decimal, octal or 0x hex) that net/netip does not
+// take as an address. The C resolver expands these (127.1 is 127.0.0.1, 2130706433 too), so the tool
+// refuses them on its own words before any lookup rather than rely on the resolver.
+func shortFormAddress(host string) bool {
+	if host == "" || strings.Contains(host, ":") {
+		return false
+	}
+	if _, err := netip.ParseAddr(host); err == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	for _, label := range strings.Split(strings.TrimSuffix(host, "."), ".") {
+		digits := label
+		if len(label) > 2 && (label[:2] == "0x" || label[:2] == "0X") {
+			digits = label[2:]
+			for _, c := range digits {
+				if !strings.ContainsRune("0123456789abcdefABCDEF", c) {
+					return false
+				}
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+		if digits == "" {
+			return false
+		}
+		for _, c := range digits {
+			if c < '0' || c > '9' {
+				return false
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
 func runRequest(args map[string]any) (any, error) {
 	raw, err := text(args, "url")
 	if err != nil {
@@ -97,6 +130,9 @@ func runRequest(args map[string]any) (any, error) {
 	if u.Host == "" {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("url %q has no host", raw)
 	}
+	if shortFormAddress(u.Hostname()) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("refused: host %q is an address in a short or legacy form (as 127.1, 2130706433 or 0x7f.0.0.1), which the resolver may read as loopback, unspecified or link-local; write the full address", u.Hostname())
+	}
 	method := "GET"
 	if m, _ := args["method"].(string); strings.TrimSpace(m) != "" {
 		method = strings.ToUpper(strings.TrimSpace(m))
diff --git a/modules/netcheck/cmd/netcheck/request_test.go b/modules/netcheck/cmd/netcheck/request_test.go
index 15015a48..2bcb41e7 100644
--- a/modules/netcheck/cmd/netcheck/request_test.go
+++ b/modules/netcheck/cmd/netcheck/request_test.go
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ func TestRequestRefusesLocalAddresses(t *testing.T) {
 	port := srv.Listener.Addr().(*net.TCPAddr).Port
 	refusing(t)
 	for _, host := range []string{
-		"127.0.0.1", "localhost", "127.1", "[::1]", "[::ffff:127.0.0.1]", "0.0.0.0", "[::]",
+		"127.0.0.1", "localhost", "127.1", "2130706433", "0x7f.0.0.1", "0x7f.1", "0177.0.0.1", "[::1]", "[::ffff:127.0.0.1]", "0.0.0.0", "[::]",
 		"169.254.169.254", "[fe80::1]",
 	} {
 		u := "http://" + host + ":" + strconv.Itoa(port) + "/"
@@ -45,6 +45,20 @@ func TestRequestRefusesLocalAddresses(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestShortFormAddressIsRefusedOnItsOwnWords(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, host := range []string{"127.1", "2130706433", "0x7f.0.0.1", "0x7f.1", "0177.0.0.1"} {
+		_, err := asked(t, map[string]any{"url": "http://" + host + ":1/", "timeout_ms": float64(2000)})
+		if err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "short or legacy form") {
+			t.Errorf("%s: want the short-form refusal, got %v", host, err)
+		}
+	}
+	for _, host := range []string{"example.com", "127.0.0.1", "1.example.com", "[::1]", "10.0.0.1"} {
+		if shortFormAddress(strings.Trim(host, "[]")) {
+			t.Errorf("%s taken for a short form", host)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestRequestIgnoresProxyEnvironment(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Setenv("HTTP_PROXY", "http://127.0.0.1:1")
 	t.Setenv("http_proxy", "http://127.0.0.1:1")