diff --git a/lib/internal/crypto/diffiehellman.js b/lib/internal/crypto/diffiehellman.js
index 8f86911757fe1f..752aabb04c9277 100644
--- a/lib/internal/crypto/diffiehellman.js
+++ b/lib/internal/crypto/diffiehellman.js
@@ -75,12 +75,20 @@ function DiffieHellman(sizeOrKey, keyEncoding, generator, genEncoding) {
   if (typeof sizeOrKey !== 'number')
     sizeOrKey = toBuf(sizeOrKey, keyEncoding);
 
-  if (!generator)
+  if (!generator) {
     generator = DH_GENERATOR;
-  else if (typeof generator === 'number')
+  } else if (typeof generator === 'number') {
     validateInt32(generator, 'generator');
-  else
+  } else if (generator !== true) {
     generator = toBuf(generator, genEncoding);
+  } else {
+    throw new ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE(
+      'generator',
+      ['number', 'string', 'ArrayBuffer', 'Buffer', 'TypedArray', 'DataView'],
+      generator
+    );
+  }
+
 
   this[kHandle] = new _DiffieHellman(sizeOrKey, generator);
   ObjectDefineProperty(this, 'verifyError', {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-crypto-dh.js b/test/parallel/test-crypto-dh.js
index f51ffba042421a..8a5fd21eea511e 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-crypto-dh.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-crypto-dh.js
@@ -471,3 +471,9 @@ assert.throws(
   'crypto.getDiffieHellman(\'modp1\').setPublicKey(\'\') ' +
   'failed to throw the expected error.'
 );
+assert.throws(
+  () => crypto.createDiffieHellman('', true),
+  {
+    code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE'
+  }
+);