diff --git a/rpc/lib/server/handlers_test.go b/rpc/lib/server/handlers_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..664bbd917
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rpc/lib/server/handlers_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+package rpcserver_test
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	rs "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/lib/server"
+	types "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/lib/types"
+	"github.com/tendermint/tmlibs/log"
+)
+
+func testMux() *http.ServeMux {
+	funcMap := map[string]*rs.RPCFunc{
+		"c": rs.NewRPCFunc(func(s string, i int) (string, error) { return "foo", nil }, "s,i"),
+	}
+	mux := http.NewServeMux()
+	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	logger := log.NewTMLogger(buf)
+	rs.RegisterRPCFuncs(mux, funcMap, logger)
+
+	return mux
+}
+
+func statusOK(code int) bool { return code >= 200 && code <= 299 }
+
+// Ensure that nefarious/unintended inputs to `params`
+// do not crash our RPC handlers.
+// See Issue https://github.com/tendermint/tendermint/issues/708.
+func TestRPCParams(t *testing.T) {
+	mux := testMux()
+	tests := []struct {
+		payload string
+		wantErr string
+	}{
+		// bad
+		{`{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": "0"}`, "Method not found"},
+		{`{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "y", "id": "0"}`, "Method not found"},
+		{`{"method": "c", "id": "0", "params": a}`, "invalid character"},
+		{`{"method": "c", "id": "0", "params": ["a"]}`, "got 1"},
+		{`{"method": "c", "id": "0", "params": ["a", "b"]}`, "of type int"},
+		{`{"method": "c", "id": "0", "params": [1, 1]}`, "of type string"},
+
+		// good
+		{`{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "c", "id": "0", "params": null}`, ""},
+		{`{"method": "c", "id": "0", "params": {}}`, ""},
+		{`{"method": "c", "id": "0", "params": ["a", 10]}`, ""},
+	}
+
+	for i, tt := range tests {
+		req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "http://localhost/", strings.NewReader(tt.payload))
+		rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+		mux.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+		res := rec.Result()
+		// Always expecting back a JSONRPCResponse
+		assert.True(t, statusOK(res.StatusCode), "#%d: should always return 2XX", i)
+		blob, err := ioutil.ReadAll(res.Body)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("#%d: err reading body: %v", i, err)
+			continue
+		}
+
+		recv := new(types.RPCResponse)
+		assert.Nil(t, json.Unmarshal(blob, recv), "#%d: expecting successful parsing of an RPCResponse:\nblob: %s", i, blob)
+		assert.NotEqual(t, recv, new(types.RPCResponse), "#%d: not expecting a blank RPCResponse", i)
+
+		if tt.wantErr == "" {
+			assert.Nil(t, recv.Error, "#%d: not expecting an error", i)
+		} else {
+			assert.True(t, recv.Error.Code < 0, "#%d: not expecting a positive JSONRPC code", i)
+			// The wanted error is either in the message or the data
+			assert.Contains(t, recv.Error.Message+recv.Error.Data, tt.wantErr, "#%d: expected substring", i)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRPCNotification(t *testing.T) {
+	mux := testMux()
+	body := strings.NewReader(`{"jsonrpc": "2.0"}`)
+	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "http://localhost/", body)
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	mux.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+	res := rec.Result()
+
+	// Always expecting back a JSONRPCResponse
+	require.True(t, statusOK(res.StatusCode), "should always return 2XX")
+	blob, err := ioutil.ReadAll(res.Body)
+	require.Nil(t, err, "reading from the body should not give back an error")
+	require.Equal(t, len(blob), 0, "a notification SHOULD NOT be responded to by the server")
+}