diff --git a/cle/backends/ihex.py b/cle/backends/ihex.py
index bc422eaab..e4216980a 100644
--- a/cle/backends/ihex.py
+++ b/cle/backends/ihex.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import logging
 import re
 import struct
-from typing import List, Optional, Tuple
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, List, Optional, Tuple
 
 import archinfo
 
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@
 
 from .backend import Backend, register_backend
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from io import BytesIO
+
 log = logging.getLogger(name=__name__)
 
 __all__ = ("Hex",)
@@ -97,7 +100,8 @@ def __init__(self, *args, ignore_missing_arch: bool = False, **kwargs):
         got_entry = False
         self._binary_stream.seek(0)
         string = self._binary_stream.read()
-        recs = string.splitlines()
+        # line exists and is not just spaces
+        recs = [line for line in string.splitlines() if line.strip()]
         regions = []
         max_addr = 0
         min_addr = 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
@@ -160,11 +164,28 @@ def __init__(self, *args, ignore_missing_arch: bool = False, **kwargs):
         self._min_addr = min_addr
 
     @staticmethod
-    def is_compatible(stream):
+    def seek_non_space_bytes(stream: "BytesIO", length=0x10, max_search=0x50):
+        data = b""
         stream.seek(0)
-        s = stream.read(0x10)
+        search_len = 0
+        while search_len < max_search and len(data) < length and stream:
+            search_len += 1
+            byte = stream.read(1)
+            if not byte:
+                # we have exhausted the stream
+                break
+            if re.match(rb"\s", byte) is not None:
+                continue
+
+            data += byte
+
         stream.seek(0)
-        return s.startswith(b":")
+        return data
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def is_compatible(stream):
+        s = Hex.seek_non_space_bytes(stream, length=0x10)
+        return len(s) == 0x10 and s.startswith(b":")
 
 
 register_backend("hex", Hex)