diff --git a/server.c b/server.c
index bc82860..f887148 100644
--- a/server.c
+++ b/server.c
@@ -474,6 +474,16 @@ int jb_server_turn(struct jb_server *s)
     static const char auth_data[] = "DATA\r\n";
     static const int data_buffer_len = 4096;
 
+    // We can keep a padding of null bytes for the data buffer. In the event that, for
+    // example, a string function is called on a char array without a proper ending null
+    // byte, we will reach the null bytes here at the end instead, thus preventing a
+    // crash and potential corruption. While this is a good "last line of defense"
+    // against such issues, it is much more important for these kinds of bugs to not
+    // exist in the first place. This mitigation will prevent, for example, ASAN from
+    // finding such bugs. It's recommended that you disable this padding outside
+    // of production so that you can find these bugs.
+    static const int data_buffer_padding = 0;
+
     TRYST(poll(s->fds, s->fd_num, -1));
 
     for (int i = 0; i < s->fd_num; i++) {
@@ -511,9 +521,10 @@ int jb_server_turn(struct jb_server *s)
                 continue;
             }
 
-            char data[data_buffer_len];
+            // We add padding. See above.
+            char data[data_buffer_len + data_buffer_padding];
             memset(data, 0, sizeof(data));
-            ssize_t bytes = recv(fd, data, sizeof(data) - 1, 0);
+            ssize_t bytes = recv(fd, data, data_buffer_len, 0);
             if (bytes <= 0) {
                 // error during recv() OR client disconnected, disconnect the client
                 // TODO: should we actually do this?
diff --git a/wire.c b/wire.c
index aabfcea..28d7564 100644
--- a/wire.c
+++ b/wire.c
@@ -62,7 +62,15 @@ char *wire_get_string_impl(wire_context_t *c, bool as_signature)
         return NULL;
     }
 
+    // strings always end with a null byte
+    if (c->data[c->byte_cursor + len] != '\0') {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
     char *str = (char *)&c->data[c->byte_cursor];
+    if (strlen(str) != len) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
 
     c->byte_cursor = new_cursor;