diff --git a/eth/downloader/downloader.go b/eth/downloader/downloader.go
index d817b223cc..fd588d2f30 100644
--- a/eth/downloader/downloader.go
+++ b/eth/downloader/downloader.go
@@ -15,8 +15,10 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	maxHashFetch     = 512              // Amount of hashes to be fetched per chunk
-	maxBlockFetch    = 128              // Amount of blocks to be fetched per chunk
+	MinHashFetch  = 512  // Minimum amount of hashes to not consider a peer stalling
+	MaxHashFetch  = 2048 // Amount of hashes to be fetched per retrieval request
+	MaxBlockFetch = 128  // Amount of blocks to be fetched per retrieval request
+
 	peerCountTimeout = 12 * time.Second // Amount of time it takes for the peer handler to ignore minDesiredPeerCount
 	hashTTL          = 5 * time.Second  // Time it takes for a hash request to time out
 )
@@ -28,10 +30,11 @@ var (
 )
 
 var (
-	errLowTd            = errors.New("peer's TD is too low")
+	errLowTd            = errors.New("peers TD is too low")
 	ErrBusy             = errors.New("busy")
-	errUnknownPeer      = errors.New("peer's unknown or unhealthy")
+	errUnknownPeer      = errors.New("peer is unknown or unhealthy")
 	ErrBadPeer          = errors.New("action from bad peer ignored")
+	ErrStallingPeer     = errors.New("peer is stalling")
 	errNoPeers          = errors.New("no peers to keep download active")
 	ErrPendingQueue     = errors.New("pending items in queue")
 	ErrTimeout          = errors.New("timeout")
@@ -60,13 +63,18 @@ type hashPack struct {
 	hashes []common.Hash
 }
 
+type crossCheck struct {
+	expire time.Time
+	parent common.Hash
+}
+
 type Downloader struct {
 	mux *event.TypeMux
 
 	mu     sync.RWMutex
-	queue  *queue                    // Scheduler for selecting the hashes to download
-	peers  *peerSet                  // Set of active peers from which download can proceed
-	checks map[common.Hash]time.Time // Pending cross checks to verify a hash chain
+	queue  *queue                      // Scheduler for selecting the hashes to download
+	peers  *peerSet                    // Set of active peers from which download can proceed
+	checks map[common.Hash]*crossCheck // Pending cross checks to verify a hash chain
 
 	// Callbacks
 	hasBlock hashCheckFn
@@ -157,7 +165,7 @@ func (d *Downloader) Synchronise(id string, hash common.Hash) error {
 	// Reset the queue and peer set to clean any internal leftover state
 	d.queue.Reset()
 	d.peers.Reset()
-	d.checks = make(map[common.Hash]time.Time)
+	d.checks = make(map[common.Hash]*crossCheck)
 
 	// Retrieve the origin peer and initiate the downloading process
 	p := d.peers.Peer(id)
@@ -283,15 +291,22 @@ func (d *Downloader) fetchHashes(p *peer, h common.Hash) error {
 				return ErrBadPeer
 			}
 			if !done {
+				// Check that the peer is not stalling the sync
+				if len(inserts) < MinHashFetch {
+					return ErrStallingPeer
+				}
 				// Try and fetch a random block to verify the hash batch
 				// Skip the last hash as the cross check races with the next hash fetch
-				if len(inserts) > 1 {
-					cross := inserts[rand.Intn(len(inserts)-1)]
-					glog.V(logger.Detail).Infof("Cross checking (%s) with %x", active.id, cross)
+				cross := rand.Intn(len(inserts) - 1)
+				origin, parent := inserts[cross], inserts[cross+1]
+				glog.V(logger.Detail).Infof("Cross checking (%s) with %x/%x", active.id, origin, parent)
 
-					d.checks[cross] = time.Now().Add(blockTTL)
-					active.getBlocks([]common.Hash{cross})
+				d.checks[origin] = &crossCheck{
+					expire: time.Now().Add(blockTTL),
+					parent: parent,
 				}
+				active.getBlocks([]common.Hash{origin})
+
 				// Also fetch a fresh
 				active.getHashes(head)
 				continue
@@ -310,8 +325,8 @@ func (d *Downloader) fetchHashes(p *peer, h common.Hash) error {
 				continue
 			}
 			block := blockPack.blocks[0]
-			if _, ok := d.checks[block.Hash()]; ok {
-				if !d.queue.Has(block.ParentHash()) {
+			if check, ok := d.checks[block.Hash()]; ok {
+				if block.ParentHash() != check.parent {
 					return ErrCrossCheckFailed
 				}
 				delete(d.checks, block.Hash())
@@ -319,8 +334,8 @@ func (d *Downloader) fetchHashes(p *peer, h common.Hash) error {
 
 		case <-crossTicker.C:
 			// Iterate over all the cross checks and fail the hash chain if they're not verified
-			for hash, deadline := range d.checks {
-				if time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			for hash, check := range d.checks {
+				if time.Now().After(check.expire) {
 					glog.V(logger.Debug).Infof("Cross check timeout for %x", hash)
 					return ErrCrossCheckFailed
 				}
@@ -438,7 +453,7 @@ out:
 					}
 					// Get a possible chunk. If nil is returned no chunk
 					// could be returned due to no hashes available.
-					request := d.queue.Reserve(peer, maxBlockFetch)
+					request := d.queue.Reserve(peer, MaxBlockFetch)
 					if request == nil {
 						continue
 					}
diff --git a/eth/downloader/downloader_test.go b/eth/downloader/downloader_test.go
index 98fdef6963..8b541d8b79 100644
--- a/eth/downloader/downloader_test.go
+++ b/eth/downloader/downloader_test.go
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ type downloadTester struct {
 	blocks map[common.Hash]*types.Block // Blocks associated with the hashes
 	chain  []common.Hash                // Block-chain being constructed
 
+	maxHashFetch int // Overrides the maximum number of retrieved hashes
+
 	t            *testing.T
 	pcount       int
 	done         chan bool
@@ -133,8 +135,12 @@ func (dl *downloadTester) getBlock(hash common.Hash) *types.Block {
 
 // getHashes retrieves a batch of hashes for reconstructing the chain.
 func (dl *downloadTester) getHashes(head common.Hash) error {
+	limit := MaxHashFetch
+	if dl.maxHashFetch > 0 {
+		limit = dl.maxHashFetch
+	}
 	// Gather the next batch of hashes
-	hashes := make([]common.Hash, 0, maxHashFetch)
+	hashes := make([]common.Hash, 0, limit)
 	for i, hash := range dl.hashes {
 		if hash == head {
 			i++
@@ -469,6 +475,23 @@ func TestMadeupHashChainAttack(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// Tests that if a malicious peer makes up a random hash chain, and tries to push
+// indefinitely, one hash at a time, it actually gets caught with it. The reason
+// this is separate from the classical made up chain attack is that sending hashes
+// one by one prevents reliable block/parent verification.
+func TestMadeupHashChainDrippingAttack(t *testing.T) {
+	// Create a random chain of hashes to drip
+	hashes := createHashes(0, 16*blockCacheLimit)
+	tester := newTester(t, hashes, nil)
+
+	// Try and sync with the attacker, one hash at a time
+	tester.maxHashFetch = 1
+	tester.newPeer("attack", big.NewInt(10000), hashes[0])
+	if _, err := tester.syncTake("attack", hashes[0]); err != ErrStallingPeer {
+		t.Fatalf("synchronisation error mismatch: have %v, want %v", err, ErrStallingPeer)
+	}
+}
+
 // Tests that if a malicious peer makes up a random block chain, and tried to
 // push indefinitely, it actually gets caught with it.
 func TestMadeupBlockChainAttack(t *testing.T) {
@@ -479,7 +502,7 @@ func TestMadeupBlockChainAttack(t *testing.T) {
 	crossCheckCycle = 25 * time.Millisecond
 
 	// Create a long chain of blocks and simulate an invalid chain by dropping every second
-	hashes := createHashes(0, 32*blockCacheLimit)
+	hashes := createHashes(0, 16*blockCacheLimit)
 	blocks := createBlocksFromHashes(hashes)
 
 	gapped := make([]common.Hash, len(hashes)/2)
@@ -502,3 +525,37 @@ func TestMadeupBlockChainAttack(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("failed to synchronise blocks: %v", err)
 	}
 }
+
+// Advanced form of the above forged blockchain attack, where not only does the
+// attacker make up a valid hashes for random blocks, but also forges the block
+// parents to point to existing hashes.
+func TestMadeupParentBlockChainAttack(t *testing.T) {
+	defaultBlockTTL := blockTTL
+	defaultCrossCheckCycle := crossCheckCycle
+
+	blockTTL = 100 * time.Millisecond
+	crossCheckCycle = 25 * time.Millisecond
+
+	// Create a long chain of blocks and simulate an invalid chain by dropping every second
+	hashes := createHashes(0, 16*blockCacheLimit)
+	blocks := createBlocksFromHashes(hashes)
+	forges := createBlocksFromHashes(hashes)
+	for hash, block := range forges {
+		block.ParentHeaderHash = hash // Simulate pointing to already known hash
+	}
+	// Try and sync with the malicious node and check that it fails
+	tester := newTester(t, hashes, forges)
+	tester.newPeer("attack", big.NewInt(10000), hashes[0])
+	if _, err := tester.syncTake("attack", hashes[0]); err != ErrCrossCheckFailed {
+		t.Fatalf("synchronisation error mismatch: have %v, want %v", err, ErrCrossCheckFailed)
+	}
+	// Ensure that a valid chain can still pass sync
+	blockTTL = defaultBlockTTL
+	crossCheckCycle = defaultCrossCheckCycle
+
+	tester.blocks = blocks
+	tester.newPeer("valid", big.NewInt(20000), hashes[0])
+	if _, err := tester.syncTake("valid", hashes[0]); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to synchronise blocks: %v", err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/eth/downloader/queue.go b/eth/downloader/queue.go
index 13ec9a5209..591a37773d 100644
--- a/eth/downloader/queue.go
+++ b/eth/downloader/queue.go
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	blockCacheLimit = 1024 // Maximum number of blocks to cache before throttling the download
+	blockCacheLimit = 8 * MaxBlockFetch // Maximum number of blocks to cache before throttling the download
 )
 
 // fetchRequest is a currently running block retrieval operation.
diff --git a/eth/handler.go b/eth/handler.go
index 8dd254b1a3..9117a70de0 100644
--- a/eth/handler.go
+++ b/eth/handler.go
@@ -206,8 +206,8 @@ func (self *ProtocolManager) handleMsg(p *peer) error {
 			return errResp(ErrDecode, "->msg %v: %v", msg, err)
 		}
 
-		if request.Amount > maxHashes {
-			request.Amount = maxHashes
+		if request.Amount > downloader.MaxHashFetch {
+			request.Amount = downloader.MaxHashFetch
 		}
 
 		hashes := self.chainman.GetBlockHashesFromHash(request.Hash, request.Amount)
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ func (self *ProtocolManager) handleMsg(p *peer) error {
 			if block != nil {
 				blocks = append(blocks, block)
 			}
-			if i == maxBlocks {
+			if i == downloader.MaxBlockFetch {
 				break
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/eth/peer.go b/eth/peer.go
index fdd8152932..bb6a20349f 100644
--- a/eth/peer.go
+++ b/eth/peer.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth/downloader"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/logger"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/logger/glog"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/p2p"
@@ -100,8 +101,8 @@ func (p *peer) sendTransaction(tx *types.Transaction) error {
 }
 
 func (p *peer) requestHashes(from common.Hash) error {
-	glog.V(logger.Debug).Infof("[%s] fetching hashes (%d) %x...\n", p.id, maxHashes, from[:4])
-	return p2p.Send(p.rw, GetBlockHashesMsg, getBlockHashesMsgData{from, maxHashes})
+	glog.V(logger.Debug).Infof("[%s] fetching hashes (%d) %x...\n", p.id, downloader.MaxHashFetch, from[:4])
+	return p2p.Send(p.rw, GetBlockHashesMsg, getBlockHashesMsgData{from, downloader.MaxHashFetch})
 }
 
 func (p *peer) requestBlocks(hashes []common.Hash) error {
diff --git a/eth/protocol.go b/eth/protocol.go
index 48f37b59c9..948051ed1f 100644
--- a/eth/protocol.go
+++ b/eth/protocol.go
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@ const (
 	NetworkId          = 0
 	ProtocolLength     = uint64(8)
 	ProtocolMaxMsgSize = 10 * 1024 * 1024
-	maxHashes          = 512
-	maxBlocks          = 128
 )
 
 // eth protocol message codes