diff --git a/include/Makefile.am b/include/Makefile.am
index 09cd60a..109f440 100644
--- a/include/Makefile.am
+++ b/include/Makefile.am
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ PCPEXPORT = pcp.h \
             pcp/z85.h \
             pcp/zmq_z85.h \
             pcp/ed.h \
-	    pcp/base85.h
+	    pcp/base85.h \
+            pcp/buffer.h
 
 nobase_include_HEADERS = $(PCPEXPORT)
diff --git a/include/pcp.h b/include/pcp.h
index 13ffc04..326498e 100644
--- a/include/pcp.h
+++ b/include/pcp.h
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ extern "C" {
 #endif
 
 #include "pcp/base85.h"
+#include "pcp/buffer.h"
 #include "pcp/config.h"
 #include "pcp/crypto.h"
 #include "pcp/defines.h"
diff --git a/include/pcp/buffer.h b/include/pcp/buffer.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..31db33d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/pcp/buffer.h
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+/*
+    This file is part of Pretty Curved Privacy (pcp1).
+
+    Copyright (C) 2014 T.v.Dein.
+
+    This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+
+    This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+    You can contact me by mail: <tom AT vondein DOT org>.
+*/
+
+/*
+
+  Flexible buffer management, idea from openssh/buffer.c.
+  This allows us to dissect buffers into parts at will
+  whithout the hassle of boundary checking in each and every
+  line. Therefore it is more secure, since this system wraps
+  all this stuff from us, so in case we're attemt to overflow
+  a buffer or the like, the buffer functions will catch this,
+  warn us and die.
+
+*/
+
+#ifndef HAVE_PCP_BUFFER_H
+#define HAVE_PCP_BUFFER_H
+
+#include "mem.h"
+#include "util.h"
+#include "defines.h"
+
+struct _pcp_buffer {
+  char *name;     /* just for convenience in error messages and the
+                     like, so we know which buffer cause trouble */
+  uint8_t allocated;
+  size_t blocksize;
+  size_t size;
+  size_t offset;  /* read position */
+  size_t end;     /* write position, data end */
+  void *buf;
+};
+
+typedef struct _pcp_buffer Buffer;
+
+/* create a new buffer */
+Buffer *buffer_new(size_t blocksize, char *name);
+
+/* zero the buffer and free it, if allocated */
+void buffer_free(Buffer *b);
+
+/* zero the buffer, always called from buffer_free() */
+void buffer_clear(Buffer *b);
+
+/* add data to the buffer, memorize end position */
+void buffer_add(Buffer *b, const void *data, size_t len);
+
+/* resize the buffer if necessary */
+void buffer_resize(Buffer *b, size_t len);
+
+/* get some chunk of data from the buffer, starting from offset til len,
+   it doesn't allocate the returned data (void *buf, the 2nd argument).
+*/
+size_t buffer_get(Buffer *b, void *buf, size_t len);
+
+/* same as buffer_get() but fetch some data chunk from somewhere
+   in the middle of the buffer */
+size_t buffer_extract(Buffer *b, void *buf, size_t offset, size_t len);
+
+/* dump the buffer contents to stderr */
+void buffer_dump(const Buffer *b);
+
+/* print buffer counters to stderr */
+void buffer_info(const Buffer *b);
+
+/* tell how much data there is in the buffer */
+size_t buffer_size(const Buffer *b);
+
+/* access the last byte(s) as numbers directly, save typing,
+   in contrast to buffer_get() it doesn't increment offset */
+uint8_t  buffer_last8(Buffer *b);
+uint16_t buffer_last16(Buffer *b);
+uint32_t buffer_last32(Buffer *b);
+uint64_t buffer_last64(Buffer *b);
+
+/* read from a file directly into a buffer object */
+size_t buffer_fd_read(Buffer *b, FILE *in, size_t len);
+
+#endif // HAVE_PCP_BUFFER_H
diff --git a/libpcp/Makefile.am b/libpcp/Makefile.am
index 53d0ad0..f67237f 100644
--- a/libpcp/Makefile.am
+++ b/libpcp/Makefile.am
@@ -30,6 +30,6 @@ libpcp1_la_SOURCES = mac.c mem.c pad.c version.c \
 		    vault.c fatal.c jenhash.c digital_crc32.c \
                     crypto.c ed.c keyhash.c scrypt.c \
 		    scrypt/crypto/sha256.c scrypt/crypto/crypto_scrypt-nosse.c \
-		    base85.c util.c
+		    base85.c util.c buffer.c
 
 include_HEADERS      = ../include/pcp.h
diff --git a/libpcp/buffer.c b/libpcp/buffer.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..71b2985
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libpcp/buffer.c
@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+/*
+    This file is part of Pretty Curved Privacy (pcp1).
+
+    Copyright (C) 2014 T.v.Dein.
+
+    This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+
+    This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+    You can contact me by mail: <tom AT vondein DOT org>.
+*/
+
+#include "buffer.h"
+
+Buffer *buffer_new(size_t blocksize, char *name) {
+  Buffer *b = ucmalloc(sizeof(Buffer));
+  b->buf = ucmalloc(blocksize);
+  b->name = ucmalloc(strlen(name)+1);
+  b->size = blocksize;
+  b->allocated = 1;
+  b->offset = 0;
+  b->end = 0;
+  b->blocksize = blocksize;
+  memcpy(b->name, name, strlen(name)+1);
+  return b;
+}
+
+void buffer_free(Buffer *b) {
+  if(b != NULL) {
+    if(b->allocated > 0) {
+      buffer_clear(b);
+      free(b->buf);
+      free(b);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+void buffer_clear(Buffer *b) {
+  b->offset = 0;
+  memset(b->buf, 0, b->size);
+}
+
+void buffer_add(Buffer *b, const void *data, size_t len) {
+  buffer_resize(b, len);
+  memcpy(b->buf + b->end, data, len);
+  b->end += len;
+}
+
+void buffer_resize(Buffer *b, size_t len) {
+  if((b->end > 0 && b->end + len > b->size) || (b->end == 0 && len > b->size) ) {
+    /* increase by buf blocksize */
+    size_t newsize = (((len / b->blocksize) +1) * b->blocksize) + b->size;
+    fprintf(stderr, "[buffer %s] resizing from %ld to %ld\n", b->name, b->size, newsize);
+    b->buf = ucrealloc(b->buf, b->size, newsize);
+    b->size = newsize;
+  }
+}
+
+size_t buffer_get(Buffer *b, void *buf, size_t len) {
+  if(len > b->end - b->offset || len == 0) {
+    fatal("[buffer %s] attempt to read %ld data from buffer with size %ld %p at offset %ld",
+	  len, b->size, b->offset);
+    return 0;
+  }
+  memcpy(buf, b->buf + b->offset, len);
+  b->offset += len;
+  return len;
+}
+
+size_t buffer_extract(Buffer *b, void *buf, size_t offset, size_t len) {
+  if(len > b->end) {
+    fatal("[buffer %s] attempt to read %ld bytes past end of buffer at %ld\n", b->name, b->end - (b->offset + len), b->end);
+    return 0;
+  }
+
+  if(offset > b->end) {
+    fatal("[buffer %s] attempt to read at offset %ld past len to read %ld\n", b->name, offset, b->end);
+    return 0;
+  }
+
+  memcpy(buf, b->buf + offset, len);
+  return len - offset;
+}
+
+void buffer_dump(const Buffer *b) {
+  _dump(b->name, b->buf, b->size);
+}
+
+void buffer_info(const Buffer *b) {
+  fprintf(stderr, "blocksize: %ld\n", b->blocksize);
+  fprintf(stderr, "     size: %ld\n", b->size);
+  fprintf(stderr, "   offset: %ld\n", b->offset);
+  fprintf(stderr, "      end: %ld\n", b->end);
+  fprintf(stderr, "allocated: %d\n", b->allocated);
+}
+
+size_t buffer_size(const Buffer *b) {
+  return b->end;
+}
+
+uint8_t buffer_last8(Buffer *b) {
+  uint8_t i;
+  if(buffer_extract(b, &i, b->end - 1, 1) > 0)
+    return i;
+  else
+    return 0;
+}
+
+uint16_t buffer_last16(Buffer *b) {
+  uint16_t i;
+  if(buffer_extract(b, &i, b->end - 2, 2) > 0)
+    return i;
+  else
+    return 0;
+}
+
+uint32_t buffer_last32(Buffer *b) {
+  uint32_t i;
+  if(buffer_extract(b, &i, b->end - 4, 4) > 0)
+    return i;
+  else
+    return 0;
+}
+
+uint64_t buffer_last64(Buffer *b) {
+  uint64_t i;
+  if(buffer_extract(b, &i, b->end - 8, 8) > 0)
+    return i;
+  else
+    return 0;
+}
+
+size_t buffer_fd_read(Buffer *b, FILE *in, size_t len) {
+  if(feof(in) || ferror(in)) {
+    return 0;
+  }
+
+  void *data = ucmalloc(len);
+
+  size_t s = fread(data, 1, len, in);
+
+  if(s < len) {
+    fatal("[buffer %s] attemt to read %ld bytes from FILE, but got %ld only\n", b->name, len, s);
+    return 0;
+  }
+
+  buffer_add(b, data, len);
+  return len;
+}
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index e4398ea..584ca33 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 #
 
 AM_CFLAGS = -I../include/pcp -I../src -I../libpcp/scrypt/crypto -Wall -g
-check_PROGRAMS = col invalidkeys pwhashes gencheader statictest cpptest
+check_PROGRAMS = col invalidkeys pwhashes gencheader statictest cpptest buffertest
 
 gencheader_LDADD = ../libpcp/.libs/libpcp1.a
 gencheader_SOURCES = gencheader.c
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@ gencheader_SOURCES = gencheader.c
 statictest_LDADD = ../libpcp/.libs/libpcp1.a
 statictest_SOURCES = statictest.c
 
+buffertest_LDADD = ../libpcp/.libs/libpcp1.a
+buffertest_SOURCES = buffertest.c
+
 
 
 col_LDADD = ../libpcp/.libs/libpcp1.a
diff --git a/tests/buffertest.c b/tests/buffertest.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1f430b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/buffertest.c
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+#include "buffertest.h"
+
+int main() {
+  Buffer *test = buffer_new(16, "test");
+
+  byte *a = ucmalloc(32);
+  byte *b = ucmalloc(32);
+  memset(a, 'A', 32);
+  memset(b, 'B', 32);
+
+  fprintf(stderr, "initial\n");
+  buffer_info(test);
+
+  int i;
+  for(i=0; i<2; i++) {
+    fprintf(stderr, "\nadding As\n");
+    buffer_add(test, a, 32);
+    buffer_info(test);
+    buffer_dump(test);
+
+    fprintf(stderr, "\nadding Bs\n");
+    buffer_add(test, b, 32);
+    buffer_info(test);
+    buffer_dump(test);
+  }
+
+  free(a);
+  free(b);
+
+
+  size_t x;
+  size_t bs = buffer_size(test);
+  void *g = ucmalloc(32);
+  for(x=0; x < bs; x+=32) {
+    fprintf(stderr, "before get\n");
+    buffer_info(test);
+    if(buffer_get(test, g, 32) > 0) {
+    fprintf(stderr, "after get\n");
+      buffer_info(test);
+      _dump("got", g, 32);
+    }
+    fprintf(stderr, "\n");
+  }
+
+  buffer_extract(test, g, 28, 38);
+  _dump("extracted", g, 10);
+
+  uint8_t c = buffer_last8(test);
+  fprintf(stderr, "last byte: %c\n", c);
+
+  free(g);
+
+  buffer_free(test);
+
+  fatals_ifany();
+
+  return 0;
+}
diff --git a/tests/buffertest.h b/tests/buffertest.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..41a92d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/buffertest.h
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <limits.h>
+
+#include "buffer.h"
+