diff --git a/src/net_processing.cpp b/src/net_processing.cpp
--- a/src/net_processing.cpp
+++ b/src/net_processing.cpp
@@ -2679,6 +2679,15 @@
     connman.PushMessage(&peer, std::move(msg));
 }
 
+bool IsAvalancheMessageType(const std::string &msg_type) {
+    if (msg_type == NetMsgType::AVAHELLO || msg_type == NetMsgType::AVAPOLL ||
+        msg_type == NetMsgType::AVARESPONSE ||
+        msg_type == NetMsgType::AVAPROOF) {
+        return true;
+    }
+    return false;
+}
+
 void PeerManager::ProcessMessage(const Config &config, CNode &pfrom,
                                  const std::string &msg_type,
                                  CDataStream &vRecv,
@@ -2703,6 +2712,29 @@
         return;
     }
 
+    if (IsAvalancheMessageType(msg_type)) {
+        if (!g_avalanche) {
+            LogPrint(BCLog::NET,
+                     "Avalanche is not initialized, ignoring %s message\n",
+                     msg_type);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // Discourage avalanche messages if the service flag is not set.
+        if (!gArgs.GetBoolArg("-enableavalanche", AVALANCHE_DEFAULT_ENABLED)) {
+            Misbehaving(pfrom, 20, "unsolicited-" + msg_type);
+            return;
+        }
+        // Ignore avalanche requests while importing
+        if ((msg_type == NetMsgType::AVAPOLL ||
+             msg_type == NetMsgType::AVARESPONSE) &&
+            (fImporting || fReindex)) {
+            LogPrint(BCLog::NET, "Ignoring %s message while importing\n",
+                     msg_type);
+            return;
+        }
+    }
+
     if (msg_type == NetMsgType::VERSION) {
         // Each connection can only send one version message
         if (pfrom.nVersion != 0) {
@@ -3969,11 +4001,7 @@
         return;
     }
 
-    if (msg_type == NetMsgType::AVAHELLO && g_avalanche) {
-        if (!gArgs.GetBoolArg("-enableavalanche", AVALANCHE_DEFAULT_ENABLED)) {
-            Misbehaving(pfrom, 20, "unsolicited-avahello");
-            return;
-        }
+    if (msg_type == NetMsgType::AVAHELLO) {
         if (!pfrom.m_avalanche_state) {
             pfrom.m_avalanche_state = std::make_unique<CNode::AvalancheState>();
         }
@@ -3994,7 +4022,7 @@
                               msgMaker.Make(NetMsgType::GETDATA, vGetData));
     }
 
-    if (msg_type == NetMsgType::AVAPROOF && g_avalanche) {
+    if (msg_type == NetMsgType::AVAPROOF) {
         // Read the proof.
         avalanche::Proof proof;
         vRecv >> proof;
@@ -4033,13 +4061,7 @@
         }
     }
 
-    // Ignore avalanche requests while importing
-    if (msg_type == NetMsgType::AVAPOLL && !fImporting && !fReindex &&
-        g_avalanche) {
-        if (!gArgs.GetBoolArg("-enableavalanche", AVALANCHE_DEFAULT_ENABLED)) {
-            Misbehaving(pfrom, 20, "unsolicited-avapoll");
-            return;
-        }
+    if (msg_type == NetMsgType::AVAPOLL) {
         auto now = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
         int64_t cooldown =
             gArgs.GetArg("-avacooldown", AVALANCHE_DEFAULT_COOLDOWN);
@@ -4146,13 +4168,7 @@
         return;
     }
 
-    // Ignore avalanche requests while importing
-    if (msg_type == NetMsgType::AVARESPONSE && !fImporting && !fReindex &&
-        g_avalanche) {
-        if (!gArgs.GetBoolArg("-enableavalanche", AVALANCHE_DEFAULT_ENABLED)) {
-            Misbehaving(pfrom, 20, "unsolicited-avaresponse");
-            return;
-        }
+    if (msg_type == NetMsgType::AVARESPONSE) {
         // As long as QUIC is not implemented, we need to sign response and
         // verify response's signatures in order to avoid any manipulation of
         // messages at the transport level.
diff --git a/test/functional/p2p_invalid_messages.py b/test/functional/p2p_invalid_messages.py
--- a/test/functional/p2p_invalid_messages.py
+++ b/test/functional/p2p_invalid_messages.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
     msg_avahello,
     msg_avapoll,
     msg_avaresponse,
+    msg_avaproof,
     msg_getdata,
     msg_headers,
     msg_inv,
@@ -372,6 +373,10 @@
                 ['Misbehaving', 'peer=9 (40 -> 60): unsolicited-avaresponse']):
             msg = msg_avaresponse()
             conn.send_and_ping(msg)
+        with self.nodes[0].assert_debug_log(
+                ['Misbehaving', 'peer=9 (60 -> 80): unsolicited-avaproof']):
+            msg = msg_avaproof()
+            conn.send_and_ping(msg)
         self.nodes[0].disconnect_p2ps()
 
     def _tweak_msg_data_size(self, message, wrong_size):