diff --git a/hpke/kem_test.go b/hpke/kem_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c536133ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hpke/kem_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+package hpke_test
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/cloudflare/circl/hpke"
+	"github.com/cloudflare/circl/internal/test"
+)
+
+func TestKemKeysMarshal(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, kem := range []hpke.KEM{
+		hpke.KEM_P256_HKDF_SHA256,
+		hpke.KEM_P384_HKDF_SHA384,
+		hpke.KEM_P521_HKDF_SHA512,
+		hpke.KEM_X25519_HKDF_SHA256,
+		hpke.KEM_X448_HKDF_SHA512,
+		hpke.KEM_X25519_KYBER768_DRAFT00,
+	} {
+		checkIssue488(t, kem)
+	}
+}
+
+func checkIssue488(t *testing.T, kem hpke.KEM) {
+	scheme := kem.Scheme()
+	pk, sk, err := scheme.GenerateKeyPair()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	skBytes, err := sk.MarshalBinary()
+	test.CheckNoErr(t, err, "marshal private key")
+	pkBytes, err := pk.MarshalBinary()
+	test.CheckNoErr(t, err, "marshal public key")
+
+	t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("%v/PrivateKey", scheme.Name()), func(t *testing.T) {
+		N := scheme.PrivateKeySize()
+		buffer := make([]byte, N+1)
+		copy(buffer, skBytes)
+
+		// passing a buffer larger than the private key size should error (but no panic).
+		_, err := scheme.UnmarshalBinaryPrivateKey(buffer[:N+1])
+		test.CheckIsErr(t, err, "unmarshal private key should failed")
+
+		// passing a buffer of the exact size must be correct.
+		gotSk, err := scheme.UnmarshalBinaryPrivateKey(buffer[:N])
+		test.CheckNoErr(t, err, "unmarshal private key shouldn't fail")
+		test.CheckOk(sk.Equal(gotSk), "private keys are not equal", t)
+	})
+
+	t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("%v/PublicKey", scheme.Name()), func(t *testing.T) {
+		N := scheme.PublicKeySize()
+		buffer := make([]byte, N+1)
+		copy(buffer, pkBytes)
+
+		// passing a buffer larger than the public key size should error (but no panic).
+		_, err := scheme.UnmarshalBinaryPublicKey(buffer[:N+1])
+		test.CheckIsErr(t, err, "unmarshal public key should failed")
+
+		gotPk, err := scheme.UnmarshalBinaryPublicKey(buffer[:N])
+		test.CheckNoErr(t, err, "unmarshal public key shouldn't fail")
+		test.CheckOk(pk.Equal(gotPk), "public keys are not equal", t)
+	})
+}
diff --git a/hpke/shortkem.go b/hpke/shortkem.go
index e5c55e991..cea17a976 100644
--- a/hpke/shortkem.go
+++ b/hpke/shortkem.go
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ func (s shortKEM) DeriveKeyPair(seed []byte) (kem.PublicKey, kem.PrivateKey) {
 		bitmask = 0x01
 	}
 
+	Nsk := s.PrivateKeySize()
 	dkpPrk := s.labeledExtract([]byte(""), []byte("dkp_prk"), seed)
 	var bytes []byte
 	ctr := 0
@@ -64,14 +65,12 @@ func (s shortKEM) DeriveKeyPair(seed []byte) (kem.PublicKey, kem.PrivateKey) {
 			dkpPrk,
 			[]byte("candidate"),
 			[]byte{byte(ctr)},
-			uint16(s.byteSize()),
+			uint16(Nsk),
 		)
 		bytes[0] &= bitmask
 		skBig.SetBytes(bytes)
 	}
-	l := s.PrivateKeySize()
-	sk := &shortKEMPrivKey{s, make([]byte, l), nil}
-	copy(sk.priv[l-len(bytes):], bytes)
+	sk := &shortKEMPrivKey{s, bytes, nil}
 	return sk.Public(), sk
 }
 
@@ -83,11 +82,11 @@ func (s shortKEM) GenerateKeyPair() (kem.PublicKey, kem.PrivateKey, error) {
 
 func (s shortKEM) UnmarshalBinaryPrivateKey(data []byte) (kem.PrivateKey, error) {
 	l := s.PrivateKeySize()
-	if len(data) < l {
-		return nil, ErrInvalidKEMPrivateKey
+	if len(data) != l {
+		return nil, kem.ErrPrivKeySize
 	}
 	sk := &shortKEMPrivKey{s, make([]byte, l), nil}
-	copy(sk.priv[l-len(data):l], data[:l])
+	copy(sk.priv, data[:l])
 	if !sk.validate() {
 		return nil, ErrInvalidKEMPrivateKey
 	}
@@ -96,7 +95,11 @@ func (s shortKEM) UnmarshalBinaryPrivateKey(data []byte) (kem.PrivateKey, error)
 }
 
 func (s shortKEM) UnmarshalBinaryPublicKey(data []byte) (kem.PublicKey, error) {
-	x, y := elliptic.Unmarshal(s, data)
+	l := s.PublicKeySize()
+	if len(data) != l {
+		return nil, kem.ErrPubKeySize
+	}
+	x, y := elliptic.Unmarshal(s, data[:l])
 	if x == nil {
 		return nil, ErrInvalidKEMPublicKey
 	}
diff --git a/hpke/xkem.go b/hpke/xkem.go
index f11ab6b37..19d896145 100644
--- a/hpke/xkem.go
+++ b/hpke/xkem.go
@@ -58,13 +58,14 @@ func (x xKEM) DeriveKeyPair(seed []byte) (kem.PublicKey, kem.PrivateKey) {
 	if len(seed) != x.SeedSize() {
 		panic(kem.ErrSeedSize)
 	}
-	sk := &xKEMPrivKey{scheme: x, priv: make([]byte, x.size)}
+	Nsk := x.PrivateKeySize()
+	sk := &xKEMPrivKey{scheme: x, priv: make([]byte, Nsk)}
 	dkpPrk := x.labeledExtract([]byte(""), []byte("dkp_prk"), seed)
 	bytes := x.labeledExpand(
 		dkpPrk,
 		[]byte("sk"),
 		nil,
-		uint16(x.PrivateKeySize()),
+		uint16(Nsk),
 	)
 	copy(sk.priv, bytes)
 	return sk.Public(), sk
@@ -81,8 +82,8 @@ func (x xKEM) GenerateKeyPair() (kem.PublicKey, kem.PrivateKey, error) {
 
 func (x xKEM) UnmarshalBinaryPrivateKey(data []byte) (kem.PrivateKey, error) {
 	l := x.PrivateKeySize()
-	if len(data) < l {
-		return nil, ErrInvalidKEMPrivateKey
+	if len(data) != l {
+		return nil, kem.ErrPrivKeySize
 	}
 	sk := &xKEMPrivKey{x, make([]byte, l), nil}
 	copy(sk.priv, data[:l])
@@ -94,8 +95,8 @@ func (x xKEM) UnmarshalBinaryPrivateKey(data []byte) (kem.PrivateKey, error) {
 
 func (x xKEM) UnmarshalBinaryPublicKey(data []byte) (kem.PublicKey, error) {
 	l := x.PublicKeySize()
-	if len(data) < l {
-		return nil, ErrInvalidKEMPublicKey
+	if len(data) != l {
+		return nil, kem.ErrPubKeySize
 	}
 	pk := &xKEMPubKey{x, make([]byte, l)}
 	copy(pk.pub, data[:l])