diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/path.c b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/path.c
index 675e474ac..92ba56bc2 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/path.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/path.c
@@ -720,7 +720,7 @@ int	path_search(Shell_t *shp,register const char *name,Pathcomp_t **oldpp, int f
 	{
 		if(!pp)
 			pp=sh_isstate(SH_DEFPATH)?shp->defpathlist:shp->pathlist;
-		if(pp && strmatch(name,e_alphanum)  && (fno=path_opentype(shp,name,pp,1))>=0)
+		if(pp && strlen(name)<256 && strmatch(name,e_alphanum) && (fno=path_opentype(shp,name,pp,1))>=0)
 		{
 			if(flag >= 2)
 			{
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/path.sh b/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/path.sh
index a2978eab1..24e53346f 100755
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/path.sh
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/path.sh
@@ -526,6 +526,7 @@ fi
 # 'command -x' used to hang in an endless E2BIG loop on Linux and macOS
 ofile=$tmp/command_x_chunks.sh
 trap 'sleep_pid=; while kill -9 $pid; do :; done 2>/dev/null; err_exit "'\''command -x'\'' hung"' TERM
+trap 'kill $sleep_pid; while kill -9 $pid; do :; done 2>/dev/null; trap - INT; kill -s INT $$"' INT
 { sleep 15; kill $$; } &
 sleep_pid=$!
 (
@@ -554,7 +555,7 @@ sleep_pid=$!
 pid=$!
 wait $pid
 e=$?
-trap - TERM
+trap - TERM INT
 [[ $sleep_pid ]] && kill $sleep_pid
 if	let "e > 0"
 then	err_exit "'command -x' test yielded exit status $e$( let "e>128" && print -n / && kill -l "$e")"
@@ -677,6 +678,13 @@ then	fundir=$tmp/whencefun
 		$'-- diff follows:\n'"$(diff -u <(print -r -- "$expect") <(print -r -- "$actual") | sed $'s/^/\t| /')"
 fi
 
+# ======
+# Very long nonexistent command names used to crash
+# https://github.com/ksh93/ksh/issues/144
+{ PATH=/dev/null FPATH=/dev/null "$SHELL" -c "$(awk -v ORS= 'BEGIN { for(i=0;i<10000;i++) print "xxxxxxxxxx"; }')"; } 2>/dev/null
+(((e = $?) == 127)) || err_exit "Long nonexistent command name crashes shell" \
+	"(exit status $e$( ((e>128)) && print -n / && kill -l "$e"))"
+
 # ======
 exit $((Errors<125?Errors:125))