diff --git a/gdb/ChangeLog b/gdb/ChangeLog
index 39a2d32718..b378ccf2e1 100644
--- a/gdb/ChangeLog
+++ b/gdb/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+2021-04-07  Andrew Burgess  <andrew.burgess@embecosm.com>
+
+	* dwarf2/section.c (dwarf2_section_info::get_bfd_owner): Add an
+	assert.
+	(dwarf2_section_info::get_file_name): Add an assert.
+	(dwarf2_section_info::read_string): Display a minimal, sane error
+	when the dwarf2_section_info is not associated with a bfd section.
+
 2021-04-07  Andrew Burgess  <andrew.burgess@embecosm.com>
 
 	* top.c (staged_gdb_datadir): Update comment.
diff --git a/gdb/dwarf2/section.c b/gdb/dwarf2/section.c
index a839c47ecc..8e1c0197c8 100644
--- a/gdb/dwarf2/section.c
+++ b/gdb/dwarf2/section.c
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ dwarf2_section_info::get_bfd_owner () const
       section = get_containing_section ();
       gdb_assert (!section->is_virtual);
     }
+  gdb_assert (section->s.section != nullptr);
   return section->s.section->owner;
 }
 
@@ -83,6 +84,7 @@ dwarf2_section_info::get_file_name () const
 {
   bfd *abfd = get_bfd_owner ();
 
+  gdb_assert (abfd != nullptr);
   return bfd_get_filename (abfd);
 }
 
@@ -194,8 +196,14 @@ dwarf2_section_info::read_string (struct objfile *objfile, LONGEST str_offset,
 {
   read (objfile);
   if (buffer == NULL)
-    error (_("%s used without %s section [in module %s]"),
-	   form_name, get_name (), get_file_name ());
+    {
+      if (get_bfd_section () == nullptr)
+	error (_("Dwarf Error: %s used without required section"),
+	       form_name);
+      else
+	error (_("Dwarf Error: %s used without %s section [in module %s]"),
+	       form_name, get_name (), get_file_name ());
+    }
   if (str_offset >= size)
     error (_("%s pointing outside of %s section [in module %s]"),
 	   form_name, get_name (), get_file_name ());
diff --git a/gdb/testsuite/ChangeLog b/gdb/testsuite/ChangeLog
index 04ed4ad96e..690c8b3498 100644
--- a/gdb/testsuite/ChangeLog
+++ b/gdb/testsuite/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+2021-04-07  Andrew Burgess  <andrew.burgess@embecosm.com>
+
+	* gdb.dwarf2/dw2-using-debug-str.exp: Add an additional test.
+
 2021-04-07  Andrew Burgess  <andrew.burgess@embecosm.com>
 
 	* gdb.python/py-parameter.exp: Add test for reading data-directory
diff --git a/gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw2-using-debug-str.exp b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw2-using-debug-str.exp
index 3184f9078c..62febdb0a9 100644
--- a/gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw2-using-debug-str.exp
+++ b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.dwarf2/dw2-using-debug-str.exp
@@ -99,3 +99,44 @@ if ![runto_main] {
 # fictional, it only exists in the DWARF, but it contains lots of nice
 # field names, all of which are stored in the .debug_str section.
 gdb_test "p global_var" " = \\{aa = 0, bb = 0, cc = 0\\}"
+
+# Now copy the executable, and remove the .debug_str section.  This
+# creates an executable with an invalid DWARF configuration.  GDB
+# should give an error when trying to read the debug information from
+# this executable.
+set binfile_no_debug_str "${binfile}-no-debug-str"
+set args "--remove-section .debug_str $binfile ${binfile_no_debug_str}"
+if {[run_on_host "objcopy" [gdb_find_objcopy] "$args"]} {
+    perror "failed to run objcopy"
+    return -1
+}
+
+# Restart GDB, but don't load an executable.  When we do load the
+# executable we're going to get an error, which we check for below.
+clean_restart
+
+# This pattern is hit when GDB does not use -readnow (i.e. the default
+# behaviour).
+set pattern1 \
+    [multi_line \
+        "Reading symbols from \[^\r\n\]+" \
+        "Dwarf Error: DW_FORM_strp used without required section" \
+        "\\(No debugging symbols \[^\r\n\]+\\)"]
+
+# This pattern is hit when GDB does use -readnow (e.g. running with
+# --target_board=readnow).
+set pattern2 \
+    [multi_line \
+        "Reading symbols from \[^\r\n\]+" \
+        "Expanding full symbols from \[^\r\n\]+" \
+        "Dwarf Error: DW_FORM_strp used without required section"]
+
+# Load the executable, we expect an error from the DWARF parser.
+gdb_test_multiple "file $binfile_no_debug_str" "file $testfile" {
+    -wrap -re $pattern1 {
+       pass $gdb_test_name
+    }
+    -re -wrap "$pattern2" {
+       pass $gdb_test_name
+    }
+}