diff --git a/src/ng/http.js b/src/ng/http.js
index e7a84024295c..5a5dcfca72e1 100644
--- a/src/ng/http.js
+++ b/src/ng/http.js
@@ -2,23 +2,35 @@
 
 var APPLICATION_JSON = 'application/json';
 var CONTENT_TYPE_APPLICATION_JSON = {'Content-Type': APPLICATION_JSON + ';charset=utf-8'};
-var JSON_START = /^\s*(\[|\{[^\{])/;
-var JSON_END = /[\}\]]\s*$/;
+var JSON_START = /^\[|^\{(?!\{)/;
+var JSON_ENDS = {
+  '[': /]$/,
+  '{': /}$/
+};
 var JSON_PROTECTION_PREFIX = /^\)\]\}',?\n/;
 
 function defaultHttpResponseTransform(data, headers) {
   if (isString(data)) {
-    // strip json vulnerability protection prefix
-    data = data.replace(JSON_PROTECTION_PREFIX, '');
-    var contentType = headers('Content-Type');
-    if ((contentType && contentType.indexOf(APPLICATION_JSON) === 0 && data.trim()) ||
-        (JSON_START.test(data) && JSON_END.test(data))) {
-      data = fromJson(data);
+    // Strip json vulnerability protection prefix and trim whitespace
+    var tempData = data.replace(JSON_PROTECTION_PREFIX, '').trim();
+
+    if (tempData) {
+      var contentType = headers('Content-Type');
+      if ((contentType && (contentType.indexOf(APPLICATION_JSON) === 0)) || isJsonLike(tempData)) {
+        // Parse JSON
+        data = fromJson(tempData);
+      }
     }
   }
+
   return data;
 }
 
+function isJsonLike(str) {
+    var jsonStart = str.match(JSON_START);
+    return jsonStart && JSON_ENDS[jsonStart[0]].test(str);
+}
+
 /**
  * Parse headers into key value object
  *
diff --git a/test/ng/httpSpec.js b/test/ng/httpSpec.js
index 691542956ad5..27d79684ef9a 100644
--- a/test/ng/httpSpec.js
+++ b/test/ng/httpSpec.js
@@ -1055,6 +1055,16 @@ describe('$http', function() {
           });
 
 
+          it('should ignore leading/trailing whitespace', function() {
+            $httpBackend.expect('GET', '/url').respond('  \n  {"foo":"bar","baz":23}  \r\n  \n  ');
+            $http({method: 'GET', url: '/url'}).success(callback);
+            $httpBackend.flush();
+
+            expect(callback).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+            expect(callback.mostRecentCall.args[0]).toEqual({foo: 'bar', baz: 23});
+          });
+
+
           it('should deserialize json numbers when response header contains application/json',
               function() {
             $httpBackend.expect('GET', '/url').respond('123', {'Content-Type': 'application/json'});
@@ -1141,6 +1151,16 @@ describe('$http', function() {
           });
 
 
+          it('should retain security prefix if response is not json', function() {
+            $httpBackend.expect('GET', '/url').respond(')]}\',\n This is not JSON !');
+            $http({method: 'GET', url: '/url'}).success(callback);
+            $httpBackend.flush();
+
+            expect(callback).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+            expect(callback.mostRecentCall.args[0]).toEqual(')]}\',\n This is not JSON !');
+          });
+
+
           it('should not attempt to deserialize json when HEAD request', function() {
             //per http spec for Content-Type, HEAD request should return a Content-Type header
             //set to what the content type would have been if a get was sent
@@ -1182,6 +1202,20 @@ describe('$http', function() {
             expect(callback).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
             expect(callback.mostRecentCall.args[0]).toEqual('{{some}}');
           });
+
+          it('should not deserialize json when the opening and closing brackets do not match',
+            function() {
+              $httpBackend.expect('GET', '/url1').respond('[Code](url): function() {}');
+              $httpBackend.expect('GET', '/url2').respond('{"is": "not"} ["json"]');
+              $http.get('/url1').success(callback);
+              $http.get('/url2').success(callback);
+              $httpBackend.flush();
+
+              expect(callback.calls.length).toBe(2);
+              expect(callback.calls[0].args[0]).toEqual('[Code](url): function() {}');
+              expect(callback.calls[1].args[0]).toEqual('{"is": "not"} ["json"]');
+            }
+          );
         });