diff --git a/client/iface/bind/ice_bind.go b/client/iface/bind/ice_bind.go
index 156450c61..cf1a8316c 100644
--- a/client/iface/bind/ice_bind.go
+++ b/client/iface/bind/ice_bind.go
@@ -22,6 +22,15 @@ import (
 	nbnet "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/net"
 )
 
+const (
+	// wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation is the lowest WireGuard message type.
+	wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation uint32 = 1
+	// wgMsgTypeTransport is the highest WireGuard message type.
+	wgMsgTypeTransport uint32 = 4
+	// wgKeepaliveSize is the size of a WireGuard transport message with an empty payload.
+	wgKeepaliveSize = 32
+)
+
 type receiverCreator struct {
 	iceBind *ICEBind
 }
@@ -216,8 +225,10 @@ func (s *ICEBind) createReceiverFn(pc wgConn.BatchReader, conn *net.UDPConn, rxO
 		for i := 0; i < numMsgs; i++ {
 			msg := &(*msgs)[i]
 
-			// todo: handle err
-			if ok, _ := s.filterOutStunMessages(msg.Buffers, msg.N, msg.Addr); ok {
+			if ok, err := s.filterOutStunMessages(msg.Buffers, msg.N, msg.Addr); ok {
+				if err != nil {
+					log.Debugf("failed to handle STUN packet from %s: %v", msg.Addr, err)
+				}
 				continue
 			}
 			sizes[i] = msg.N
@@ -271,11 +282,16 @@ func (s *ICEBind) createOrUpdateMux() {
 
 func (s *ICEBind) filterOutStunMessages(buffers [][]byte, n int, addr net.Addr) (bool, error) {
 	for i := range buffers {
-		if !stun.IsMessage(buffers[i]) {
+		if n > len(buffers[i]) {
+			continue
+		}
+		pkt := buffers[i][:n]
+
+		if isWireGuardMsg(pkt) || !stun.IsMessage(pkt) {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		msg, err := s.parseSTUNMessage(buffers[i][:n])
+		msg, err := s.parseSTUNMessage(pkt)
 		if err != nil {
 			buffers[i] = []byte{}
 			return true, err
@@ -347,18 +363,31 @@ func putMessages(msgs *[]ipv6.Message, msgsPool *sync.Pool) {
 	msgsPool.Put(msgs)
 }
 
-func isTransportPkg(buffers [][]byte, n int) bool {
-	// The first buffer should contain at least 4 bytes for type
-	if len(buffers[0]) < 4 {
-		return true
+// isWireGuardMsg reports whether the packet carries a WireGuard message header: a little-endian
+// uint32 message type in the range 1..4, which leaves the three bytes following the type byte zero.
+//
+// No STUN message can take that shape. The low byte of a STUN message type holds method and class
+// bits and is non-zero for every method (Binding is 0x0001, 0x0101, 0x0111, 0x0011), so the two
+// framings are disjoint and this test is exact rather than heuristic. That matters because
+// stun.IsMessage only looks at the magic cookie, which in a WireGuard message overlaps the receiver
+// index: a session whose index happens to equal the cookie would otherwise have all of its inbound
+// data misrouted to the STUN handler until the next rekey.
+func isWireGuardMsg(pkt []byte) bool {
+	if len(pkt) < 4 {
+		return false
 	}
 
-	// WireGuard packet type is a little-endian uint32 at start
-	packetType := binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(buffers[0][:4])
-
-	// Check if packetType matches known WireGuard message types
-	if packetType == 4 && n > 32 {
-		return true
-	}
-	return false
+	msgType := binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(pkt[:4])
+	return msgType >= wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation && msgType <= wgMsgTypeTransport
+}
+
+// isTransportPkg reports whether the packet is WireGuard transport data carrying a payload, which
+// is what counts as peer activity. Keepalives hold no payload and are exactly wgKeepaliveSize.
+func isTransportPkg(buffers [][]byte, n int) bool {
+	if n < 4 || n > len(buffers[0]) {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	msgType := binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(buffers[0][:4])
+	return msgType == wgMsgTypeTransport && n > wgKeepaliveSize
 }
diff --git a/client/iface/bind/stun_filter_test.go b/client/iface/bind/stun_filter_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6c313fa88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/iface/bind/stun_filter_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+//go:build !js
+
+package bind
+
+import (
+	"encoding/binary"
+	"net"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/pion/stun/v3"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// magicCookieBytes is the STUN magic cookie as it appears on the wire. In a WireGuard message the
+// same offset holds the receiver (or sender) index, which is a random uint32, so a session can draw
+// exactly this value.
+var magicCookieBytes = []byte{0x21, 0x12, 0xA4, 0x42}
+
+const testBufSize = 1500
+
+// wgMsg builds a WireGuard message of the given type and size, with the index field at bytes 4:8
+// set to index.
+func wgMsg(msgType uint32, size int, index []byte) []byte {
+	pkt := make([]byte, size)
+	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(pkt[:4], msgType)
+	copy(pkt[4:8], index)
+	return pkt
+}
+
+// intoBuffer copies pkt into a full-size receive buffer, the way the kernel read does, so tests see
+// the same buffer/length split as the hot path.
+func intoBuffer(pkt []byte) [][]byte {
+	buf := make([]byte, testBufSize)
+	copy(buf, pkt)
+	return [][]byte{buf}
+}
+
+func TestFilterOutStunMessages_PassesWireGuardWithCookieShapedIndex(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name    string
+		msgType uint32
+		size    int
+	}{
+		{"transport data", wgMsgTypeTransport, 128},
+		{"keepalive", wgMsgTypeTransport, wgKeepaliveSize},
+		{"handshake initiation", wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation, 148},
+		{"handshake response", 2, 92},
+		{"cookie reply", 3, 64},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			pkt := wgMsg(tc.msgType, tc.size, magicCookieBytes)
+			require.True(t, stun.IsMessage(pkt), "precondition: pion sees this as STUN")
+
+			buffers := intoBuffer(pkt)
+			bind := &ICEBind{}
+
+			filtered, err := bind.filterOutStunMessages(buffers, tc.size, &net.UDPAddr{})
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			assert.False(t, filtered, "WireGuard message must be handed to WireGuard, not the STUN handler")
+			assert.Len(t, buffers[0], testBufSize, "buffer must be left intact for WireGuard")
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFilterOutStunMessages_FiltersRealSTUNMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	msg, err := stun.Build(stun.BindingRequest, stun.TransactionID, stun.Fingerprint)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	buffers := intoBuffer(msg.Raw)
+	bind := &ICEBind{}
+
+	filtered, err := bind.filterOutStunMessages(buffers, len(msg.Raw), &net.UDPAddr{})
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, filtered, "STUN message must be consumed by the STUN handler")
+	assert.Empty(t, buffers[0], "consumed buffer must be emptied so WireGuard does not see it")
+}
+
+// TestIsWireGuardMsg_DisjointFromSTUN locks the invariant the filter relies on: the second byte of a
+// STUN message type is never zero, so no STUN message can be mistaken for a WireGuard header.
+func TestIsWireGuardMsg_DisjointFromSTUN(t *testing.T) {
+	types := []stun.MessageType{
+		stun.BindingRequest,
+		stun.BindingSuccess,
+		stun.BindingError,
+		{Method: stun.MethodBinding, Class: stun.ClassIndication},
+	}
+
+	for _, msgType := range types {
+		msg, err := stun.Build(msgType, stun.TransactionID)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		assert.False(t, isWireGuardMsg(msg.Raw), "%s must not look like a WireGuard message", msgType)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIsWireGuardMsg(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		pkt  []byte
+		want bool
+	}{
+		{"transport data", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeTransport, 128, nil), true},
+		{"handshake initiation", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation, 148, nil), true},
+		{"unknown type 5", wgMsg(5, 128, nil), false},
+		{"type 0", wgMsg(0, 128, nil), false},
+		{"non-zero reserved byte", []byte{0x04, 0x00, 0x01, 0x00}, false},
+		{"too short", []byte{0x04, 0x00, 0x00}, false},
+		{"empty", nil, false},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.want, isWireGuardMsg(tc.pkt))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestFilterOutStunMessages_IgnoresBytesBeyondPacket guards against classifying on buffer contents
+// left over from an earlier, longer packet.
+func TestFilterOutStunMessages_IgnoresBytesBeyondPacket(t *testing.T) {
+	buf := make([]byte, testBufSize)
+	copy(buf[4:8], magicCookieBytes)
+	buffers := [][]byte{buf}
+	bind := &ICEBind{}
+
+	filtered, err := bind.filterOutStunMessages(buffers, 2, &net.UDPAddr{})
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.False(t, filtered, "a 2 byte packet must not be classified from stale buffer bytes")
+}
+
+func TestIsTransportPkg(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		pkt  []byte
+		n    int
+		want bool
+	}{
+		{"transport data with payload", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeTransport, 128, nil), 128, true},
+		{"keepalive", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeTransport, wgKeepaliveSize, nil), wgKeepaliveSize, false},
+		{"handshake initiation", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation, 148, nil), 148, false},
+		{"stale type bytes beyond packet", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeTransport, 128, nil), 2, false},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.want, isTransportPkg(intoBuffer(tc.pkt), tc.n))
+		})
+	}
+}