diff --git a/channels/messages_test.go b/channels/messages_test.go
index 14b54553a499883b305e846435ff4bb20e2a470c..26356e33c59b9f64751a76e1a198fc86d25d273d 100644
--- a/channels/messages_test.go
+++ b/channels/messages_test.go
@@ -33,6 +33,43 @@ func TestUnmarshalUserMessageInternal(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestUnmarshalUserMessageInternal_BadUserMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	_, err := unmarshalUserMessageInternal([]byte("Malformed"))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Error not returned on unmarshaling a bad user " +
+			"message")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestUnmarshalUserMessageInternal_BadChannelMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	_, usrMsg, _ := builtTestUMI(t, 7)
+
+	usrMsg.Message = []byte("Malformed")
+
+	usrMsgMarshaled, err := proto.Marshal(usrMsg)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Failed to marshal user message: %+v", err)
+	}
+
+	_, err = unmarshalUserMessageInternal(usrMsgMarshaled)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Error not returned on unmarshaling a user message " +
+			"with a bad channel message")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestNewUserMessageInternal_BadChannelMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	_, usrMsg, _ := builtTestUMI(t, 7)
+
+	usrMsg.Message = []byte("Malformed")
+
+	_, err := newUserMessageInternal(usrMsg)
+
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to produce error with malformed user message")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestUserMessageInternal_GetChannelMessage(t *testing.T) {
 	internal, _, channelMsg := builtTestUMI(t, 7)
 	received := internal.GetChannelMessage()
diff --git a/channels/userListener_test.go b/channels/userListener_test.go
index 0103f4f0b71fe9e006c1916f7a4948a43f1126cd..7a2ec28ac810a3855c53bacb5354e32a18ff2694 100644
--- a/channels/userListener_test.go
+++ b/channels/userListener_test.go
@@ -3,18 +3,29 @@ package channels
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"crypto/ed25519"
+	jww "github.com/spf13/jwalterweatherman"
+	"math/rand"
+	"os"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
 	"github.com/golang/protobuf/proto"
+
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/client/broadcast"
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/client/cmix/identity/receptionID"
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/client/cmix/rounds"
 	cryptoChannel "gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto/channel"
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/primitives/states"
 	"gitlab.com/xx_network/primitives/id"
-	"math/rand"
-	"testing"
-	"time"
 )
 
+func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
+	// many tests trigger warn prints, set the out threshold so the warns
+	// can be seen in the logs
+	jww.SetStdoutThreshold(jww.LevelWarn)
+	os.Exit(m.Run())
+}
+
 type triggerEventDummy struct {
 	gotData bool