diff --git a/comms.c b/comms.c
index c38bc29..acb6073 100644
--- a/comms.c
+++ b/comms.c
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@
 static const size_t MAC_LEN = 8;
 static const size_t CHALLENGE_LEN = 16;
 static const uint8_t domain[] = "com.funkthat.lora.irrigation.shared.v0.0.1";
+static const uint8_t reqreset[] = "reqreset";
+static const uint8_t confirm[] = "confirm";
 
 static int comms_pktbuf_equal(struct pktbuf a, struct pktbuf b);
 
@@ -105,6 +107,7 @@ _comms_process_session(struct comms_state *cs, struct comms_session *sess, struc
 
 	/* MAC check failed */
 	if (cnt == -1) {
+badmsg:
 		/* restore the previous state */
 		sess->cs_crypto = tmp;
 		pbout->pktlen = 0;
@@ -122,7 +125,9 @@ _comms_process_session(struct comms_state *cs, struct comms_session *sess, struc
 	ret = 0;
 	switch (sess->cs_state) {
 	case COMMS_WAIT_REQUEST:
-		/* XXX - reqreset check */
+		if (msglen != 24 || memcmp(reqreset, &buf[16],
+		    sizeof reqreset - 1) != 0)
+			goto badmsg;
 
 		bare_strobe_randomize(buf, CHALLENGE_LEN);
 		ret = strobe_put(&sess->cs_crypto, APP_CIPHERTEXT, buf,
@@ -135,7 +140,10 @@ _comms_process_session(struct comms_state *cs, struct comms_session *sess, struc
 		break;
 
 	case COMMS_WAIT_CONFIRM:
-		/* XXX - confirm check */
+		if (msglen != 7 || memcmp(confirm, buf,
+		    sizeof confirm - 1) != 0)
+			goto badmsg;
+
 		ret = strobe_put(&sess->cs_crypto, APP_CIPHERTEXT, CONFIRMED_STR,
 		    CONFIRMED_STR_LEN);
 		ret += strobe_put(&sess->cs_crypto, MAC, NULL, MAC_LEN);
diff --git a/lora.py b/lora.py
index 71b689d..6669519 100644
--- a/lora.py
+++ b/lora.py
@@ -562,10 +562,97 @@ class TestLORANode(unittest.IsolatedAsyncioTestCase):
 		self.assertTrue(tsd.recvq.empty())
 		#_debprint('done')
 
+	@timeout(2)
+	async def test_ccode_badmsgs(self):
+		# Test to make sure that various bad messages in the
+		# handshake process are rejected even if the attacker
+		# has the correct key.  This just keeps the protocol
+		# tight allowing for variations in the future.
+
+		# seed the RNG
+		prngseed = b'abc123'
+		from ctypes import c_uint8
+		lora_comms.strobe_seed_prng((c_uint8 *
+		    len(prngseed))(*prngseed), len(prngseed))
+
+		# Create the state for testing
+		commstate = lora_comms.CommsState()
+
+		# dummy callback
+		def procmsg(msg, outbuf):
+			pass
+
+		cb = lora_comms.process_msgfunc_t(procmsg)
+
+		# Generate shared key
+		shared_key = os.urandom(32)
+
+		# Initialize everything
+		lora_comms.comms_init(commstate, cb, make_pktbuf(shared_key))
+
+		# Create test fixture, only use it to init crypto state
+		tsd = SyncDatagram()
+		l = LORANode(tsd, shared=shared_key)
+
+		# copy the crypto state
+		cstate = l.st.copy()
+
+		# compose an incorrect init message
+		msg = os.urandom(16) + b'othre'
+		msg = cstate.send_enc(msg) + cstate.send_mac(l.MAC_LEN)
+
+		out = lora_comms.comms_process_wrap(commstate, msg)
+
+		self.assertFalse(out)
+
+		# copy the crypto state
+		cstate = l.st.copy()
+
+		# compose an incorrect init message
+		msg = os.urandom(16) + b' eqreset'
+		msg = cstate.send_enc(msg) + cstate.send_mac(l.MAC_LEN)
+
+		out = lora_comms.comms_process_wrap(commstate, msg)
+
+		self.assertFalse(out)
+
+		# compose the correct init message
+		msg = os.urandom(16) + b'reqreset'
+		msg = l.st.send_enc(msg) + l.st.send_mac(l.MAC_LEN)
+
+		out = lora_comms.comms_process_wrap(commstate, msg)
+
+		l.st.recv_enc(out[:-l.MAC_LEN])
+		l.st.recv_mac(out[-l.MAC_LEN:])
+
+		l.st.ratchet()
+
+		# copy the crypto state
+		cstate = l.st.copy()
+
+		# compose an incorrect confirmed message
+		msg = b'onfirm'
+		msg = cstate.send_enc(msg) + cstate.send_mac(l.MAC_LEN)
+
+		out = lora_comms.comms_process_wrap(commstate, msg)
+
+		self.assertFalse(out)
+
+		# copy the crypto state
+		cstate = l.st.copy()
+
+		# compose an incorrect confirmed message
+		msg = b' onfirm'
+		msg = cstate.send_enc(msg) + cstate.send_mac(l.MAC_LEN)
+
+		out = lora_comms.comms_process_wrap(commstate, msg)
+
+		self.assertFalse(out)
+
 	@timeout(2)
 	async def test_ccode(self):
 		_self = self
-		from ctypes import pointer, sizeof, c_uint8
+		from ctypes import c_uint8
 
 		# seed the RNG
 		prngseed = b'abc123'
@@ -675,7 +762,7 @@ class TestLORANode(unittest.IsolatedAsyncioTestCase):
 		'''
 
 		_self = self
-		from ctypes import pointer, sizeof, c_uint8
+		from ctypes import c_uint8
 
 		seq = AsyncSequence()
 
diff --git a/lora_comms.py b/lora_comms.py
index ca1d3f7..25ecc26 100644
--- a/lora_comms.py
+++ b/lora_comms.py
@@ -105,3 +105,17 @@ for func, ret, args in [
 	f.restype = ret
 	f.argtypes = args
 	locals()[func] = f
+
+def comms_process_wrap(state, input):
+	'''A wrapper around comms_process that converts the argument
+	into the buffer, and the returns the message as a bytes string.
+	'''
+
+	inpkt = make_pktbuf(input)
+
+	outbytes = bytearray(64)
+	outbuf = make_pktbuf(outbytes)
+
+	comms_process(state, inpkt, outbuf)
+
+	return outbytes[:outbuf.pktlen]