diff --git a/src/device.go b/src/device.go
index a15961a..4981f51 100644
--- a/src/device.go
+++ b/src/device.go
@@ -4,10 +4,12 @@ import (
 	"net"
 	"runtime"
 	"sync"
+	"sync/atomic"
+	"time"
 )
 
 type Device struct {
-	mtu       int
+	mtu       int32
 	log       *Logger // collection of loggers for levels
 	idCounter uint    // for assigning debug ids to peers
 	fwMark    uint32
@@ -118,6 +120,7 @@ func NewDevice(tun TUNDevice, logLevel int) *Device {
 	}
 
 	go device.RoutineBusyMonitor()
+	go device.RoutineMTUUpdater(tun)
 	go device.RoutineWriteToTUN(tun)
 	go device.RoutineReadFromTUN(tun)
 	go device.RoutineReceiveIncomming()
@@ -126,6 +129,18 @@ func NewDevice(tun TUNDevice, logLevel int) *Device {
 	return device
 }
 
+func (device *Device) RoutineMTUUpdater(tun TUNDevice) {
+	logError := device.log.Error
+	for ; ; time.Sleep(time.Second) {
+		mtu, err := tun.MTU()
+		if err != nil {
+			logError.Println("Failed to load updated MTU of device:", err)
+			continue
+		}
+		atomic.StoreInt32(&device.mtu, int32(mtu))
+	}
+}
+
 func (device *Device) LookupPeer(pk NoisePublicKey) *Peer {
 	device.mutex.RLock()
 	defer device.mutex.RUnlock()
diff --git a/src/send.go b/src/send.go
index 7a2fe44..2db74ba 100644
--- a/src/send.go
+++ b/src/send.go
@@ -281,17 +281,22 @@ func (device *Device) RoutineEncryption() {
 
 		// populate header fields
 
-		func() {
-			header := work.buffer[:MessageTransportHeaderSize]
+		header := work.buffer[:MessageTransportHeaderSize]
 
-			fieldType := header[0:4]
-			fieldReceiver := header[4:8]
-			fieldNonce := header[8:16]
+		fieldType := header[0:4]
+		fieldReceiver := header[4:8]
+		fieldNonce := header[8:16]
 
-			binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(fieldType, MessageTransportType)
-			binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(fieldReceiver, work.keyPair.remoteIndex)
-			binary.LittleEndian.PutUint64(fieldNonce, work.nonce)
-		}()
+		binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(fieldType, MessageTransportType)
+		binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(fieldReceiver, work.keyPair.remoteIndex)
+		binary.LittleEndian.PutUint64(fieldNonce, work.nonce)
+
+		// pad content to MTU size
+
+		mtu := int(atomic.LoadInt32(&device.mtu))
+		for i := len(work.packet); i < mtu; i++ {
+			work.packet = append(work.packet, 0)
+		}
 
 		// encrypt content
 
diff --git a/src/tun.go b/src/tun.go
index 85735a6..f529c54 100644
--- a/src/tun.go
+++ b/src/tun.go
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 package main
 
+/*
+ * The default MTU of the new device must be 1420
+ */
+
+const DefaultMTU = 1420
+
 type TUNDevice interface {
 	Read([]byte) (int, error)  // read a packet from the device (without any additional headers)
 	Write([]byte) (int, error) // writes a packet to the device (without any additional headers)
diff --git a/src/tun_linux.go b/src/tun_linux.go
index 63c3886..d0e9761 100644
--- a/src/tun_linux.go
+++ b/src/tun_linux.go
@@ -23,6 +23,39 @@ func (tun *NativeTun) Name() string {
 	return tun.name
 }
 
+func (tun *NativeTun) setMTU(n int) error {
+
+	// open datagram socket
+
+	fd, err := syscall.Socket(
+		syscall.AF_INET,
+		syscall.SOCK_DGRAM,
+		0,
+	)
+
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// do ioctl call
+
+	var ifr [64]byte
+	copy(ifr[:], tun.name)
+	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(ifr[16:20], uint32(n))
+	_, _, errno := syscall.Syscall(
+		syscall.SYS_IOCTL,
+		uintptr(fd),
+		uintptr(syscall.SIOCSIFMTU),
+		uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&ifr[0])),
+	)
+
+	if errno != 0 {
+		return errors.New("Failed to set MTU of TUN device")
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (tun *NativeTun) MTU() (int, error) {
 
 	// open datagram socket
@@ -40,9 +73,7 @@ func (tun *NativeTun) MTU() (int, error) {
 	// do ioctl call
 
 	var ifr [64]byte
-	var flags uint16
 	copy(ifr[:], tun.name)
-	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint16(ifr[16:], flags)
 	_, _, errno := syscall.Syscall(
 		syscall.SYS_IOCTL,
 		uintptr(fd),
@@ -79,7 +110,7 @@ func CreateTUN(name string) (TUNDevice, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	// prepare ifreq struct
+	// create new device
 
 	var ifr [64]byte
 	var flags uint16 = syscall.IFF_TUN | syscall.IFF_NO_PI
@@ -90,8 +121,6 @@ func CreateTUN(name string) (TUNDevice, error) {
 	copy(ifr[:], nameBytes)
 	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint16(ifr[16:], flags)
 
-	// create new device
-
 	_, _, errno := syscall.Syscall(
 		syscall.SYS_IOCTL,
 		uintptr(fd.Fd()),
@@ -106,8 +135,13 @@ func CreateTUN(name string) (TUNDevice, error) {
 
 	newName := string(ifr[:])
 	newName = newName[:strings.Index(newName, "\000")]
-	return &NativeTun{
+	device := &NativeTun{
 		fd:   fd,
 		name: newName,
-	}, nil
+	}
+
+	// set default MTU
+
+	err = device.setMTU(DefaultMTU)
+	return device, err
 }