diff --git a/handshake/errors.go b/handshake/errors.go
index bb8a5893..3bdcc947 100644
--- a/handshake/errors.go
+++ b/handshake/errors.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ var (
 	ErrUnknownSubtype          = errors.New("unknown handshake subtype")
 	ErrMissingContent          = errors.New("expected handshake content but message was empty")
 	ErrUnexpectedContent       = errors.New("received unexpected handshake content")
+	ErrInvalidRemoteIndex      = errors.New("peer sent an invalid index in handshake payload")
 	ErrIndexAllocation         = errors.New("failed to allocate local index")
 	ErrNoCredential            = errors.New("no handshake credential available for cert version")
 	ErrAsymmetricCipherKeys    = errors.New("noise produced only one cipher key")
diff --git a/handshake/machine.go b/handshake/machine.go
index 737358dc..baf61589 100644
--- a/handshake/machine.go
+++ b/handshake/machine.go
@@ -312,11 +312,19 @@ func (m *Machine) processPayload(msg []byte, flags msgFlags) error {
 
 	// Process payload
 	if flags.expectsPayload {
+		var remoteIndex uint32
 		if m.result.Initiator {
-			m.result.RemoteIndex = payload.ResponderIndex
+			remoteIndex = payload.ResponderIndex
 		} else {
-			m.result.RemoteIndex = payload.InitiatorIndex
+			remoteIndex = payload.InitiatorIndex
 		}
+		// The payload presence check above can be satisfied by Time alone, so a payload
+		// could still carry a zero index here. We need to reject it.
+		if remoteIndex == 0 {
+			m.failed = true
+			return ErrInvalidRemoteIndex
+		}
+		m.result.RemoteIndex = remoteIndex
 		m.result.HandshakeTime = payload.Time
 		m.payloadSet = true
 	}
diff --git a/handshake/machine_test.go b/handshake/machine_test.go
index 722a39e1..01c968ed 100644
--- a/handshake/machine_test.go
+++ b/handshake/machine_test.go
@@ -229,6 +229,24 @@ func TestMachineProcessPayload(t *testing.T) {
 		require.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrUnexpectedContent)
 		assert.True(t, m.Failed())
 	})
+
+	t.Run("zero initiator index on responder is fatal", func(t *testing.T) {
+		m := newTestMachine(t, cs, v, false, 100)
+		bytes := MarshalPayload(nil, Payload{InitiatorIndex: 0, Time: 1})
+		err := m.processPayload(bytes, msgFlags{expectsPayload: true})
+		require.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrInvalidRemoteIndex)
+		assert.True(t, m.Failed())
+		assert.Zero(t, m.result.RemoteIndex)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("zero responder index on initiator is fatal", func(t *testing.T) {
+		m := newTestMachine(t, cs, v, true, 100)
+		bytes := MarshalPayload(nil, Payload{InitiatorIndex: 100, ResponderIndex: 0, Time: 1})
+		err := m.processPayload(bytes, msgFlags{expectsPayload: true})
+		require.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrInvalidRemoteIndex)
+		assert.True(t, m.Failed())
+		assert.Zero(t, m.result.RemoteIndex)
+	})
 }
 
 // TestMachineRequireComplete checks the fail-on-incomplete-handshake path