diff --git a/ipc/ipc.go b/ipc/ipc.go
index 2c87707..1ec0a18 100644
--- a/ipc/ipc.go
+++ b/ipc/ipc.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"net"
 	"syscall"
 
+	"encoding/binary"
 	"fmt"
 	"github.com/op/go-logging"
 	"io"
@@ -13,11 +14,13 @@ import (
 )
 
 const maxFdCount = 3
+const maxMessageSz = 128 * 1024
+const bufferSz = 1024
 
 type MsgConn struct {
 	log      *logging.Logger
 	conn     *net.UnixConn
-	buf      [1024]byte
+	buf      []byte
 	oob      []byte
 	disp     *msgDispatcher
 	factory  MsgFactory
@@ -28,6 +31,7 @@ type MsgConn struct {
 }
 
 type MsgServer struct {
+	log      *logging.Logger
 	disp     *msgDispatcher
 	factory  MsgFactory
 	listener *net.UnixListener
@@ -52,6 +56,7 @@ func NewServer(address string, factory MsgFactory, log *logging.Logger, handlers
 	done := make(chan bool)
 	idGen := newIdGen(done)
 	return &MsgServer{
+		log:      log,
 		disp:     md,
 		factory:  factory,
 		listener: listener,
@@ -70,8 +75,10 @@ func (s *MsgServer) Run() error {
 			return errors.New("Failed to set SO_PASSCRED on accepted socket connection:" + err.Error())
 		}
 		mc := &MsgConn{
+			log:     s.log,
 			conn:    conn,
 			disp:    s.disp,
+			buf:     make([]byte, bufferSz),
 			oob:     createOobBuffer(),
 			factory: s.factory,
 			idGen:   s.idGen,
@@ -100,6 +107,7 @@ func Connect(address string, factory MsgFactory, log *logging.Logger, handlers .
 	done := make(chan bool)
 	idGen := newIdGen(done)
 	mc := &MsgConn{
+		log:     log,
 		conn:    conn,
 		disp:    md,
 		oob:     createOobBuffer(),
@@ -180,7 +188,19 @@ func createOobBuffer() []byte {
 }
 
 func (mc *MsgConn) readMessage() (*Message, error) {
-	n, oobn, _, _, err := mc.conn.ReadMsgUnix(mc.buf[:], mc.oob)
+	var szbuf [4]byte
+	n, oobn, _, _, err := mc.conn.ReadMsgUnix(szbuf[:], mc.oob)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	sz := binary.BigEndian.Uint32(szbuf[:])
+	if sz > maxMessageSz {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("message size of (%d) exceeds maximum message size (%d)", sz, maxMessageSz)
+	}
+	if sz > uint32(len(mc.buf)) {
+		mc.buf = make([]byte, sz)
+	}
+	n, _, _, _, err = mc.conn.ReadMsgUnix(mc.buf[:sz], nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -261,7 +281,10 @@ func (mc *MsgConn) sendMessage(msg interface{}, msgID int, fds ...int) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	return mc.sendRaw(raw, fds...)
+	buf := make([]byte, len(raw)+4)
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint32(buf, uint32(len(raw)))
+	copy(buf[4:], raw)
+	return mc.sendRaw(buf, fds...)
 }
 
 func getMessageType(msg interface{}) (string, error) {