diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 0ec779236..47809fa65 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -41,6 +41,11 @@ Ref: https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/
 
 * (grpc) [\#10985](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/10992) The `/cosmos/tx/v1beta1/txs/{hash}` endpoint returns a 404 when a tx does not exist.
 
+### Improvements
+
+* [\#10407](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/10407) Add validation to `x/upgrade` module's `BeginBlock` to check accidental binary downgrades
+
+
 ## [v0.45.0](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/releases/tag/v0.45.0) - 2022-01-18
 
 ### State Machine Breaking
diff --git a/x/upgrade/abci.go b/x/upgrade/abci.go
index c2521e09e..a9f6c0826 100644
--- a/x/upgrade/abci.go
+++ b/x/upgrade/abci.go
@@ -22,7 +22,24 @@ import (
 // skipUpgradeHeightArray is a set of block heights for which the upgrade must be skipped
 func BeginBlocker(k keeper.Keeper, ctx sdk.Context, _ abci.RequestBeginBlock) {
 	defer telemetry.ModuleMeasureSince(types.ModuleName, time.Now(), telemetry.MetricKeyBeginBlocker)
+
 	plan, found := k.GetUpgradePlan(ctx)
+
+	if !k.DowngradeVerified() {
+		k.SetDowngradeVerified(true)
+		lastAppliedPlan, _ := k.GetLastCompletedUpgrade(ctx)
+		// This check will make sure that we are using a valid binary.
+		// It'll panic in these cases if there is no upgrade handler registered for the last applied upgrade.
+		// 1. If there is no scheduled upgrade.
+		// 2. If the plan is not ready.
+		// 3. If the plan is ready and skip upgrade height is set for current height.
+		if !found || !plan.ShouldExecute(ctx) || (plan.ShouldExecute(ctx) && k.IsSkipHeight(ctx.BlockHeight())) {
+			if lastAppliedPlan != "" && !k.HasHandler(lastAppliedPlan) {
+				panic(fmt.Sprintf("Wrong app version %d, upgrade handler is missing for %s upgrade plan", ctx.ConsensusParams().Version.AppVersion, lastAppliedPlan))
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	if !found {
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/x/upgrade/abci_test.go b/x/upgrade/abci_test.go
index 18f175273..731de6af8 100644
--- a/x/upgrade/abci_test.go
+++ b/x/upgrade/abci_test.go
@@ -411,3 +411,70 @@ func TestDumpUpgradeInfoToFile(t *testing.T) {
 	err = os.Remove(upgradeInfoFilePath)
 	require.Nil(t, err)
 }
+
+// TODO: add testcase to for `no upgrade handler is present for last applied upgrade`.
+func TestBinaryVersion(t *testing.T) {
+	var skipHeight int64 = 15
+	s := setupTest(10, map[int64]bool{skipHeight: true})
+
+	testCases := []struct {
+		name        string
+		preRun      func() (sdk.Context, abci.RequestBeginBlock)
+		expectPanic bool
+	}{
+		{
+			"test not panic: no scheduled upgrade or applied upgrade is present",
+			func() (sdk.Context, abci.RequestBeginBlock) {
+				req := abci.RequestBeginBlock{Header: s.ctx.BlockHeader()}
+				return s.ctx, req
+			},
+			false,
+		},
+		{
+			"test not panic: upgrade handler is present for last applied upgrade",
+			func() (sdk.Context, abci.RequestBeginBlock) {
+				s.keeper.SetUpgradeHandler("test0", func(_ sdk.Context, _ types.Plan, vm module.VersionMap) (module.VersionMap, error) {
+					return vm, nil
+				})
+
+				err := s.handler(s.ctx, &types.SoftwareUpgradeProposal{Title: "Upgrade test", Plan: types.Plan{Name: "test0", Height: s.ctx.BlockHeight() + 2}})
+				require.Nil(t, err)
+
+				newCtx := s.ctx.WithBlockHeight(12)
+				s.keeper.ApplyUpgrade(newCtx, types.Plan{
+					Name:   "test0",
+					Height: 12,
+				})
+
+				req := abci.RequestBeginBlock{Header: newCtx.BlockHeader()}
+				return newCtx, req
+			},
+			false,
+		},
+		{
+			"test panic: upgrade needed",
+			func() (sdk.Context, abci.RequestBeginBlock) {
+				err := s.handler(s.ctx, &types.SoftwareUpgradeProposal{Title: "Upgrade test", Plan: types.Plan{Name: "test2", Height: 13}})
+				require.Nil(t, err)
+
+				newCtx := s.ctx.WithBlockHeight(13)
+				req := abci.RequestBeginBlock{Header: newCtx.BlockHeader()}
+				return newCtx, req
+			},
+			true,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		ctx, req := tc.preRun()
+		if tc.expectPanic {
+			require.Panics(t, func() {
+				s.module.BeginBlock(ctx, req)
+			})
+		} else {
+			require.NotPanics(t, func() {
+				s.module.BeginBlock(ctx, req)
+			})
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/x/upgrade/keeper/keeper.go b/x/upgrade/keeper/keeper.go
index 7c13ce6f1..7dee3efd5 100644
--- a/x/upgrade/keeper/keeper.go
+++ b/x/upgrade/keeper/keeper.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package keeper
 import (
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"path"
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ type Keeper struct {
 	cdc                codec.BinaryCodec               // App-wide binary codec
 	upgradeHandlers    map[string]types.UpgradeHandler // map of plan name to upgrade handler
 	versionSetter      xp.ProtocolVersionSetter        // implements setting the protocol version field on BaseApp
+	downgradeVerified  bool                            // tells if we've already sanity checked that this binary version isn't being used against an old state.
 }
 
 // NewKeeper constructs an upgrade Keeper which requires the following arguments:
@@ -228,6 +230,26 @@ func (k Keeper) GetUpgradedConsensusState(ctx sdk.Context, lastHeight int64) ([]
 	return bz, true
 }
 
+// GetLastCompletedUpgrade returns the last applied upgrade name and height.
+func (k Keeper) GetLastCompletedUpgrade(ctx sdk.Context) (string, int64) {
+	iter := sdk.KVStoreReversePrefixIterator(ctx.KVStore(k.storeKey), []byte{types.DoneByte})
+	defer iter.Close()
+	if iter.Valid() {
+		return parseDoneKey(iter.Key()), int64(binary.BigEndian.Uint64(iter.Value()))
+	}
+
+	return "", 0
+}
+
+// parseDoneKey - split upgrade name from the done key
+func parseDoneKey(key []byte) string {
+	if len(key) < 2 {
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("expected key of length at least %d, got %d", 2, len(key)))
+	}
+
+	return string(key[1:])
+}
+
 // GetDoneHeight returns the height at which the given upgrade was executed
 func (k Keeper) GetDoneHeight(ctx sdk.Context, name string) int64 {
 	store := prefix.NewStore(ctx.KVStore(k.storeKey), []byte{types.DoneByte})
@@ -410,3 +432,13 @@ type upgradeInfo struct {
 	// Height has types.Plan.Height value
 	Info string `json:"info,omitempty"`
 }
+
+// SetDowngradeVerified updates downgradeVerified.
+func (k *Keeper) SetDowngradeVerified(v bool) {
+	k.downgradeVerified = v
+}
+
+// DowngradeVerified returns downgradeVerified.
+func (k Keeper) DowngradeVerified() bool {
+	return k.downgradeVerified
+}
diff --git a/x/upgrade/keeper/keeper_test.go b/x/upgrade/keeper/keeper_test.go
index 724848271..1cb2f072a 100644
--- a/x/upgrade/keeper/keeper_test.go
+++ b/x/upgrade/keeper/keeper_test.go
@@ -232,6 +232,45 @@ func (s *KeeperTestSuite) TestMigrations() {
 	s.Require().Equal(vmBefore["bank"]+1, vm["bank"])
 }
 
+func (s *KeeperTestSuite) TestLastCompletedUpgrade() {
+	keeper := s.app.UpgradeKeeper
+	require := s.Require()
+
+	s.T().Log("verify empty name if applied upgrades are empty")
+	name, height := keeper.GetLastCompletedUpgrade(s.ctx)
+	require.Equal("", name)
+	require.Equal(int64(0), height)
+
+	keeper.SetUpgradeHandler("test0", func(_ sdk.Context, _ types.Plan, vm module.VersionMap) (module.VersionMap, error) {
+		return vm, nil
+	})
+
+	keeper.ApplyUpgrade(s.ctx, types.Plan{
+		Name:   "test0",
+		Height: 10,
+	})
+
+	s.T().Log("verify valid upgrade name and height")
+	name, height = keeper.GetLastCompletedUpgrade(s.ctx)
+	require.Equal("test0", name)
+	require.Equal(int64(10), height)
+
+	keeper.SetUpgradeHandler("test1", func(_ sdk.Context, _ types.Plan, vm module.VersionMap) (module.VersionMap, error) {
+		return vm, nil
+	})
+
+	newCtx := s.ctx.WithBlockHeight(15)
+	keeper.ApplyUpgrade(newCtx, types.Plan{
+		Name:   "test1",
+		Height: 15,
+	})
+
+	s.T().Log("verify valid upgrade name and height with multiple upgrades")
+	name, height = keeper.GetLastCompletedUpgrade(newCtx)
+	require.Equal("test1", name)
+	require.Equal(int64(15), height)
+}
+
 func TestKeeperTestSuite(t *testing.T) {
 	suite.Run(t, new(KeeperTestSuite))
 }