diff --git a/detect_secrets/core/secrets_collection.py b/detect_secrets/core/secrets_collection.py
index d3948c647..f1f5d7dd0 100644
--- a/detect_secrets/core/secrets_collection.py
+++ b/detect_secrets/core/secrets_collection.py
@@ -416,7 +416,17 @@ def _extract_secrets_from_file(
                 f.seek(0)
 
         except UnicodeDecodeError:
-            file_is_binary = is_binary(filename)
+            log.warning('UnicodeDecodeError encountered while scanning file: %s', filename)
+            try:
+                file_is_binary = is_binary(filename)
+            except Exception as e:
+                # Handle cases where is_binary() itself fails (e.g., chardet compatibility issues)
+                log.error(
+                    'Could not determine if file is binary (%s): %s',
+                    filename,
+                    str(e),
+                )
+                raise
 
             if not file_is_binary and not suppress_unscannable_file_warnings:
                 log.warning(
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index c7e4d2858..76b638b81 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
         'packaging',
         'tabulate',
         'binaryornot',
+        'chardet>=3.0.2,<7.0.0',
     ],
     extras_require={
         'word_list': [