diff --git a/client/main.go b/client/main.go
index e34d271..e83e1af 100644
--- a/client/main.go
+++ b/client/main.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"encoding/base64"
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"log"
@@ -10,13 +11,13 @@ import (
 
 	"baalvpn/shared"
 
-	"github.com/songgao/packets/ethernet"
 	"github.com/songgao/water"
 )
 
 const (
 	SERVER_IP  = "172.20.12.47"
 	IFACE_NAME = "baalvpn"
+	PSK        = "rj5FvWB0n342C6UGrAS0gI3GX5ya+lDmC7/XmgFHF+s="
 )
 
 var (
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ var (
 	serverAddr *net.UDPAddr
 	iface      *water.Interface
 	conn       *net.UDPConn
+	pskKey     []byte
 )
 
 func main() {
@@ -31,6 +33,12 @@ func main() {
 		panic("root permissions needed")
 	}
 
+	var err error
+	pskKey, err = base64.StdEncoding.DecodeString(PSK)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
 	listenAddr, err := net.ResolveUDPAddr("udp", ":38000")
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
@@ -99,8 +107,13 @@ func receivePacket(pkt []byte) {
 		setupInterface()
 		go sendPackets()
 	case shared.RESP_DATA:
-		log.Println("received pkt:", hex.EncodeToString(pkt[4:]))
-		if _, err := iface.Write(pkt[4:]); err != nil {
+		decryptedPkt, err := shared.DecryptSym(pskKey, pkt[4:])
+		if err != nil {
+			panic(err)
+		}
+
+		log.Println("received pkt:", hex.EncodeToString(decryptedPkt))
+		if _, err := iface.Write(decryptedPkt); err != nil {
 			log.Println(err)
 		}
 	default:
@@ -129,17 +142,21 @@ func setupInterface() {
 func sendPackets() {
 	log.Println("Listening for packets...")
 
-	var frame ethernet.Frame
 	for {
-		frame.Resize(1500)
-		n, err := iface.Read([]byte(frame))
+		pkt := make([]byte, 1500)
+		n, err := iface.Read([]byte(pkt))
 		if err != nil {
 			panic(err)
 		}
-		frame = frame[:n]
+		pkt = pkt[:n]
 
-		pkt := shared.BuildPkt(shared.REQ_DATA, frame)
-		if _, err := conn.WriteToUDP(pkt, serverAddr); err != nil {
+		encryptedPkt, err := shared.EncryptSym(pskKey, pkt)
+		if err != nil {
+			panic(err)
+		}
+
+		req := shared.BuildPkt(shared.REQ_DATA, encryptedPkt)
+		if _, err := conn.WriteToUDP(req, serverAddr); err != nil {
 			log.Println(err)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index aa01da9..671c592 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@ module baalvpn
 go 1.26.3
 
 require (
-	github.com/songgao/packets v0.0.0-20160404182456-549a10cd4091
 	github.com/songgao/water v0.0.0-20200317203138-2b4b6d7c09d8
+	golang.org/x/crypto v0.54.0
 )
 
-require golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0 // indirect
+require (
+	golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0 // indirect
+)
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index e213a41..a4f2d2e 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-github.com/songgao/packets v0.0.0-20160404182456-549a10cd4091 h1:1zN6ImoqhSJhN8hGXFaJlSC8msLmIbX8bFqOfWLKw0w=
-github.com/songgao/packets v0.0.0-20160404182456-549a10cd4091/go.mod h1:N20Z5Y8oye9a7HmytmZ+tr8Q2vlP0tAHP13kTHzwvQY=
 github.com/songgao/water v0.0.0-20200317203138-2b4b6d7c09d8 h1:TG/diQgUe0pntT/2D9tmUCz4VNwm9MfrtPr0SU2qSX8=
 github.com/songgao/water v0.0.0-20200317203138-2b4b6d7c09d8/go.mod h1:P5HUIBuIWKbyjl083/loAegFkfbFNx5i2qEP4CNbm7E=
+golang.org/x/crypto v0.54.0 h1:YLIA59K4fiNzHzjnZt2tUJQjQtUWfWbeHBqKtk3eScw=
+golang.org/x/crypto v0.54.0/go.mod h1:KWL8ny2AZdGR2cWmzeHrp2azQPGogOv+HeQaVEXC2dk=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0 h1:o7XGOvZQCADBQQ4Y7VNq2dRWQR7JmOUW8Kxx4ZsNgWs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0/go.mod h1:4GL1E5IUh+htKOUEOaiffhrAeqysfVGipDYzABqnCmw=
diff --git a/server/main.go b/server/main.go
index c02a93e..d1b7902 100644
--- a/server/main.go
+++ b/server/main.go
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 // TODO: slice bounds checking
 // TODO: authentication
-// TODO: encryption
 // TODO: somehow persist IPs
 // TODO: handle multiple peers behind one NAT
 package main
 
 import (
 	"crypto/rand"
+	"encoding/base64"
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"log"
 	"net"
@@ -21,10 +21,14 @@ type Peer struct {
 	InternalIP string
 }
 
+// TODO: replace with key exchange between peers
+const PSK = "rj5FvWB0n342C6UGrAS0gI3GX5ya+lDmC7/XmgFHF+s="
+
 var (
 	peers      = map[string]*Peer{}
 	peersMutex sync.Mutex
 	conn       *net.UDPConn
+	pskKey     []byte
 )
 
 func main() {
@@ -32,6 +36,12 @@ func main() {
 		panic("root permissions needed")
 	}
 
+	var err error
+	pskKey, err = base64.StdEncoding.DecodeString(PSK)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
 	receivePackets()
 }
 
@@ -59,25 +69,22 @@ func receivePackets() {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		go receivePacket(buffer[:n], addr)
+		go handleReq(buffer[:n], addr)
 	}
 }
 
-func receivePacket(pkt []byte, addr *net.UDPAddr) {
-	if len(pkt) < 4 {
+func handleReq(req []byte, addr *net.UDPAddr) {
+	if len(req) < 4 {
 		log.Println("packet too short")
 		return
 	}
-	version := binary.LittleEndian.Uint16(pkt[0:])
+	version := binary.LittleEndian.Uint16(req[0:])
 	if version != shared.PROTO_VERSION {
 		log.Println("mismatched packet version")
 		return
 	}
 
-	pktType := binary.LittleEndian.Uint16(pkt[2:])
-
-	// idk if it needs to lock the mutex
-	peer := peers[addr.IP.String()]
+	pktType := binary.LittleEndian.Uint16(req[2:])
 
 	switch pktType {
 	case shared.REQ_REGISTER:
@@ -98,15 +105,33 @@ func receivePacket(pkt []byte, addr *net.UDPAddr) {
 		resp := shared.BuildPkt(shared.RESP_REGISTER, net.ParseIP(internalIP))
 		sendTo(addr, resp)
 	case shared.REQ_DATA:
-		frame := pkt[4:]
-		etherType := binary.BigEndian.Uint16(frame[12:14])
-		payload := frame[14:]
+		peersMutex.Lock()
+		peer := peers[addr.IP.String()]
+		peersMutex.Unlock()
+		if peer == nil {
+			log.Println("data from unregistered peer:", addr.String())
+			return
+		}
+
+		pkt, err := shared.DecryptSym(pskKey, req[4:])
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Printf("failed to decrypt packet from %s: %s", peer.RealAddr, err)
+			return
+		}
+
+		etherType := binary.BigEndian.Uint16(pkt[12:14])
+		payload := pkt[14:]
 
 		switch etherType {
 		case 0x86dd: // IPv6
 			rawDestIP := payload[24:40]
 			destIP := net.IP(rawDestIP).String()
-			resp := shared.BuildPkt(shared.RESP_DATA, frame)
+
+			encryptedPkt, err := shared.EncryptSym(pskKey, pkt)
+			if err != nil {
+				panic(err)
+			}
+			resp := shared.BuildPkt(shared.RESP_DATA, encryptedPkt)
 
 			if rawDestIP[0] == 0xff { // multicast
 				log.Println(peer.InternalIP + " -> " + destIP + " (*)")
diff --git a/shared/crypto.go b/shared/crypto.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..83193f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/shared/crypto.go
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+package shared
+
+import (
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"fmt"
+
+	"golang.org/x/crypto/chacha20poly1305"
+)
+
+func EncryptSym(key []byte, plaintext []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+	aead, err := chacha20poly1305.NewX(key)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	nonce := make([]byte, chacha20poly1305.NonceSizeX)
+	if _, err := rand.Read(nonce); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return aead.Seal(nonce, nonce, plaintext, nil), nil
+}
+
+func DecryptSym(key []byte, ciphertext []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+	aead, err := chacha20poly1305.NewX(key)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	if len(ciphertext) < aead.NonceSize() {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("ciphertext too short")
+	}
+	nonce, ciphertext := ciphertext[:aead.NonceSize()], ciphertext[aead.NonceSize():]
+
+	return aead.Open(nil, nonce, ciphertext, nil)
+}
diff --git a/shared/proto.go b/shared/proto.go
index 7ee5da4..fc11a50 100644
--- a/shared/proto.go
+++ b/shared/proto.go
@@ -6,9 +6,13 @@ const PROTO_VERSION uint16 = 1
 
 const (
 	unused uint16 = iota
+	// - empty -
 	REQ_REGISTER
+	// [ ip - 16 bytes ]
 	RESP_REGISTER
+	// [ encrypted pkt ]
 	REQ_DATA
+	// [ encrypted pkt ]
 	RESP_DATA
 )