diff --git a/Lib/pickle.py b/Lib/pickle.py
index beaefae0479d3c..a17c83b720d23a 100644
--- a/Lib/pickle.py
+++ b/Lib/pickle.py
@@ -1837,7 +1837,7 @@ def load_build(self):
         slotstate = None
         if isinstance(state, tuple) and len(state) == 2:
             state, slotstate = state
-        if state:
+        if state is not None:
             inst_dict = inst.__dict__
             intern = sys.intern
             for k, v in state.items():
diff --git a/Lib/test/pickletester.py b/Lib/test/pickletester.py
index 9a3a26a8400844..8d4ca2dcf65e45 100644
--- a/Lib/test/pickletester.py
+++ b/Lib/test/pickletester.py
@@ -1024,6 +1024,14 @@ def test_zero_padded_integers(self):
         self.assertEqual(self.loads(b'L010L\n.'), 10)
         self.assertEqual(self.loads(b'L-010L\n.'), -10)
 
+    def test_load_build_falsy_state(self):
+        self.check_unpickling_error((pickle.UnpicklingError, AttributeError), b']]b.')
+        self.check_unpickling_error((pickle.UnpicklingError, AttributeError), b']K\x00b.')
+        self.check_unpickling_error((pickle.UnpicklingError, AttributeError), b'])b.')
+        self.check_unpickling_error((pickle.UnpicklingError, AttributeError), b']}b.')
+        self.check_unpickling_error((pickle.UnpicklingError, AttributeError), b']\x8fb.')
+        self.check_unpickling_error((pickle.UnpicklingError, AttributeError), b']\x89b.')
+
     def test_nondecimal_integers(self):
         self.assertRaises(ValueError, self.loads, b'I0b10\n.')
         self.assertRaises(ValueError, self.loads, b'I0o10\n.')
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-01-22-00-53-23.gh-issue-128965._eQS3q.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-01-22-00-53-23.gh-issue-128965._eQS3q.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..bac259c072e4ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-01-22-00-53-23.gh-issue-128965._eQS3q.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Fix :meth:`!pickle._Unpickler.load_build` to detect an invalid ``inst`` argument if ``state`` is falsey but not None.