diff --git a/src/rules/noImplicitDependenciesRule.ts b/src/rules/noImplicitDependenciesRule.ts
index 0990e692fb1..97ece70d6e2 100644
--- a/src/rules/noImplicitDependenciesRule.ts
+++ b/src/rules/noImplicitDependenciesRule.ts
@@ -114,20 +114,24 @@ function getDependencies(fileName: string, options: Options): Set<string> {
     const result = new Set<string>();
     const packageJsonPath = findPackageJson(path.resolve(path.dirname(fileName)));
     if (packageJsonPath !== undefined) {
-        // don't use require here to avoid caching
-        // remove BOM from file content before parsing
-        const content = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(packageJsonPath, "utf8").replace(/^\uFEFF/, "")) as PackageJson;
-        if (content.dependencies !== undefined) {
-            addDependencies(result, content.dependencies);
-        }
-        if (!options.dev && content.peerDependencies !== undefined) {
-            addDependencies(result, content.peerDependencies);
-        }
-        if (options.dev && content.devDependencies !== undefined) {
-            addDependencies(result, content.devDependencies);
-        }
-        if (options.optional && content.optionalDependencies !== undefined) {
-            addDependencies(result, content.optionalDependencies);
+        try {
+            // don't use require here to avoid caching
+            // remove BOM from file content before parsing
+            const content = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(packageJsonPath, "utf8").replace(/^\uFEFF/, "")) as PackageJson;
+            if (content.dependencies !== undefined) {
+                addDependencies(result, content.dependencies);
+            }
+            if (!options.dev && content.peerDependencies !== undefined) {
+                addDependencies(result, content.peerDependencies);
+            }
+            if (options.dev && content.devDependencies !== undefined) {
+                addDependencies(result, content.devDependencies);
+            }
+            if (options.optional && content.optionalDependencies !== undefined) {
+                addDependencies(result, content.optionalDependencies);
+            }
+        } catch {
+            // treat malformed package.json files as empty
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/test/rules/no-implicit-dependencies/default/malformed/package.json b/test/rules/no-implicit-dependencies/default/malformed/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8c94190c464
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/rules/no-implicit-dependencies/default/malformed/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+    ,
+}
diff --git a/test/rules/no-implicit-dependencies/default/malformed/tets.ts.lint b/test/rules/no-implicit-dependencies/default/malformed/tets.ts.lint
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..217310ee713
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/rules/no-implicit-dependencies/default/malformed/tets.ts.lint
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+import foo from 'foo';
+                ~~~~~ [Module 'foo' is not listed as dependency in package.json]