diff --git a/PVE/QemuServer.pm b/PVE/QemuServer.pm
index d8bb21d6..e0cca0e4 100644
--- a/PVE/QemuServer.pm
+++ b/PVE/QemuServer.pm
@@ -2251,8 +2251,16 @@ sub parse_vm_config {
 	    $finish_description->();
 	    $conf = $res->{snapshots}->{$section->{name}} = {};
 	    next;
+	} elsif ($line =~ m/^\[([^\]]*)\]\s*$/i) {
+	    my $unknown_section = $1;
+	    $section = undef;
+	    $finish_description->();
+	    $handle_error->("vm $vmid - skipping unknown section: '$unknown_section'\n");
+	    next;
 	}
 
+	next if !defined($section);
+
 	if ($line =~ m/^\#(.*)$/) {
 	    $descr = '' if !defined($descr);
 	    $descr .= PVE::Tools::decode_text($1) . "\n";
diff --git a/test/parse-config-expected/unknown-sections.conf b/test/parse-config-expected/unknown-sections.conf
index 08f1a3e2..6329c33a 100644
--- a/test/parse-config-expected/unknown-sections.conf
+++ b/test/parse-config-expected/unknown-sections.conf
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ ide2: lvm:vm-120-cloudinit,media=cdrom
 ipconfig0: ip6=dhcp
 memory: 4096
 meta: creation-qemu=9.0.2,ctime=1725975013
-name: foo
+name: deb1223
 net0: vmxnet3=BC:24:11:2C:69:EC,bridge=vnet0,firewall=1
 numa: 0
 ostype: l26
@@ -18,11 +18,11 @@ unused0: rbd:vm-120-disk-0
 vmgenid: 7079e97c-50e3-4079-afe7-23e67566b946
 
 [PENDING]
-bios: seabios
+bios: ovmf
 
 [special:cloudinit]
 ipconfig0: ip=dhcp,ip6=dhcp
-name: bar
+name: deb122
 
 [foo]
 boot: order=scsi0
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ ide2: lvm:vm-120-cloudinit,media=cdrom
 ipconfig0: ip=dhcp,ip6=dhcp
 memory: 4096
 meta: creation-qemu=9.0.2,ctime=1725975013
-name: baz
+name: deb1223
 net0: vmxnet3=BC:24:11:2C:69:EC,bridge=vnet0,firewall=1
 numa: 0
 ostype: l26
diff --git a/test/parse-config-expected/unknown-sections.conf.strict.error b/test/parse-config-expected/unknown-sections.conf.strict.error
index e7004dc9..7f921a70 100644
--- a/test/parse-config-expected/unknown-sections.conf.strict.error
+++ b/test/parse-config-expected/unknown-sections.conf.strict.error
@@ -1 +1 @@
-vm 8006 - unable to parse config: [special:unknown123]
+vm 8006 - skipping unknown section: 'special:unknown123'