diff --git a/eth2deposit/key_handling/key_derivation/mnemonic.py b/eth2deposit/key_handling/key_derivation/mnemonic.py
index ef8e93c..4c8dd62 100644
--- a/eth2deposit/key_handling/key_derivation/mnemonic.py
+++ b/eth2deposit/key_handling/key_derivation/mnemonic.py
@@ -26,9 +26,9 @@ def get_seed(*, mnemonic: str, password: str='') -> bytes:
     """
     Derives the seed for the pre-image root of the tree.
     """
-    mnemonic = normalize('NFKD', mnemonic)
+    encoded_mnemonic = normalize('NFKD', mnemonic).encode('utf-8')
     salt = normalize('NFKD', 'mnemonic' + password).encode('utf-8')
-    return PBKDF2(password=mnemonic, salt=salt, dklen=64, c=2048, prf='sha512')
+    return PBKDF2(password=encoded_mnemonic, salt=salt, dklen=64, c=2048, prf='sha512')
 
 
 def get_languages(path: str) -> List[str]:
diff --git a/eth2deposit/key_handling/keystore.py b/eth2deposit/key_handling/keystore.py
index 7d70fae..5a1ac63 100644
--- a/eth2deposit/key_handling/keystore.py
+++ b/eth2deposit/key_handling/keystore.py
@@ -5,16 +5,21 @@ from dataclasses import (
     field as dataclass_field
 )
 import json
+from py_ecc.bls import G2ProofOfPossession as bls
 from secrets import randbits
 from typing import Any, Dict, Union
+from unicodedata import normalize
 from uuid import uuid4
+
 from eth2deposit.utils.crypto import (
     AES_128_CTR,
     PBKDF2,
     scrypt,
     SHA256,
 )
-from py_ecc.bls import G2ProofOfPossession as bls
+from eth2deposit.utils.constants import (
+    UNICODE_CONTROL_CHARS,
+)
 
 hexdigits = set('0123456789abcdef')
 
@@ -91,13 +96,22 @@ class Keystore(BytesDataclass):
         version = json_dict['version']
         return cls(crypto=crypto, pubkey=pubkey, path=path, uuid=uuid, version=version)
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _process_password(password: str) -> bytes:
+        password = normalize('NFKD', password)
+        password = ''.join(c for c in password if ord(c) not in UNICODE_CONTROL_CHARS)
+        return password.encode('UTF-8')
+
     @classmethod
     def encrypt(cls, *, secret: bytes, password: str, path: str='',
                 kdf_salt: bytes=randbits(256).to_bytes(32, 'big'),
                 aes_iv: bytes=randbits(128).to_bytes(16, 'big')) -> 'Keystore':
         keystore = cls()
         keystore.crypto.kdf.params['salt'] = kdf_salt
-        decryption_key = keystore.kdf(password=password, **keystore.crypto.kdf.params)
+        decryption_key = keystore.kdf(
+            password=cls._process_password(password),
+            **keystore.crypto.kdf.params
+        )
         keystore.crypto.cipher.params['iv'] = aes_iv
         cipher = AES_128_CTR(key=decryption_key[:16], **keystore.crypto.cipher.params)
         keystore.crypto.cipher.message = cipher.encrypt(secret)
@@ -107,7 +121,10 @@ class Keystore(BytesDataclass):
         return keystore
 
     def decrypt(self, password: str) -> bytes:
-        decryption_key = self.kdf(password=password, **self.crypto.kdf.params)
+        decryption_key = self.kdf(
+            password=self._process_password(password),
+            **self.crypto.kdf.params
+        )
         assert SHA256(decryption_key[16:32] + self.crypto.cipher.message) == self.crypto.checksum.message
         cipher = AES_128_CTR(key=decryption_key[:16], **self.crypto.cipher.params)
         return cipher.decrypt(self.crypto.cipher.message)
diff --git a/eth2deposit/utils/constants.py b/eth2deposit/utils/constants.py
index 52a25e6..69b1236 100644
--- a/eth2deposit/utils/constants.py
+++ b/eth2deposit/utils/constants.py
@@ -13,3 +13,7 @@ MAX_DEPOSIT_AMOUNT = 2 ** 5 * 10 ** 9
 # File/folder constants
 WORD_LISTS_PATH = os.path.join('eth2deposit', 'key_handling', 'key_derivation', 'word_lists')
 DEFAULT_VALIDATOR_KEYS_FOLDER_NAME = 'validator_keys'
+
+
+# Sundry constants
+UNICODE_CONTROL_CHARS = list(range(0x00, 0x20)) + list(range(0x7F, 0xA0))
diff --git a/eth2deposit/utils/crypto.py b/eth2deposit/utils/crypto.py
index b66befb..5a850bb 100644
--- a/eth2deposit/utils/crypto.py
+++ b/eth2deposit/utils/crypto.py
@@ -24,11 +24,10 @@ def scrypt(*, password: str, salt: str, n: int, r: int, p: int, dklen: int) -> b
     return res if isinstance(res, bytes) else res[0]  # PyCryptodome can return Tuple[bytes]
 
 
-def PBKDF2(*, password: str, salt: bytes, dklen: int, c: int, prf: str) -> bytes:
+def PBKDF2(*, password: bytes, salt: bytes, dklen: int, c: int, prf: str) -> bytes:
     assert('sha' in prf)
     _hash = _sha256 if 'sha256' in prf else _sha512
-    password_bytes = password.encode("utf-8")
-    res = _PBKDF2(password=password_bytes, salt=salt, dkLen=dklen, count=c, hmac_hash_module=_hash)  # type: ignore
+    res = _PBKDF2(password=password, salt=salt, dkLen=dklen, count=c, hmac_hash_module=_hash)  # type: ignore
     return res if isinstance(res, bytes) else res[0]  # PyCryptodome can return Tuple[bytes]
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_key_handling/keystore_test_vectors/test0.json b/tests/test_key_handling/keystore_test_vectors/test0.json
index 4ef33f7..9e996b2 100644
--- a/tests/test_key_handling/keystore_test_vectors/test0.json
+++ b/tests/test_key_handling/keystore_test_vectors/test0.json
@@ -13,18 +13,18 @@
         "checksum": {
             "function": "sha256",
             "params": {},
-            "message": "18b148af8e52920318084560fd766f9d09587b4915258dec0676cba5b0da09d8"
+            "message": "8a9f5d9912ed7e75ea794bc5a89bca5f193721d30868ade6f73043c6ea6febf1"
         },
         "cipher": {
             "function": "aes-128-ctr",
             "params": {
                 "iv": "264daa3f303d7259501c93d997d84fe6"
             },
-            "message": "a9249e0ca7315836356e4c7440361ff22b9fe71e2e2ed34fc1eb03976924ed48"
+            "message": "cee03fde2af33149775b7223e7845e4fb2c8ae1792e5f99fe9ecf474cc8c16ad"
         }
     },
     "pubkey": "9612d7a727c9d0a22e185a1c768478dfe919cada9266988cb32359c11f2b7b27f4ae4040902382ae2910c15e2b420d07",
-    "path": "m/12381/60/3141592653589793238/4626433832795028841",
+    "path": "m/12381/60/0/0",
     "uuid": "64625def-3331-4eea-ab6f-782f3ed16a83",
     "version": 4
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/test_key_handling/keystore_test_vectors/test1.json b/tests/test_key_handling/keystore_test_vectors/test1.json
index 2f87b4b..7f7a25b 100644
--- a/tests/test_key_handling/keystore_test_vectors/test1.json
+++ b/tests/test_key_handling/keystore_test_vectors/test1.json
@@ -14,18 +14,18 @@
         "checksum": {
             "function": "sha256",
             "params": {},
-            "message": "149aafa27b041f3523c53d7acba1905fa6b1c90f9fef137568101f44b531a3cb"
+            "message": "d2217fe5f3e9a1e34581ef8a78f7c9928e436d36dacc5e846690a5581e8ea484"
         },
         "cipher": {
             "function": "aes-128-ctr",
             "params": {
                 "iv": "264daa3f303d7259501c93d997d84fe6"
             },
-            "message": "54ecc8863c0550351eee5720f3be6a5d4a016025aa91cd6436cfec938d6a8d30"
+            "message": "06ae90d55fe0a6e9c5c3bc5b170827b2e5cce3929ed3f116c2811e6366dfe20f"
         }
     },
     "pubkey": "9612d7a727c9d0a22e185a1c768478dfe919cada9266988cb32359c11f2b7b27f4ae4040902382ae2910c15e2b420d07",
-    "path": "m/12381/60/0/0",
+    "path": "m/12381/60/3141592653/589793238",
     "uuid": "1d85ae20-35c5-4611-98e8-aa14a633906f",
     "version": 4
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/test_key_handling/test_keystore.py b/tests/test_key_handling/test_keystore.py
index 5f321c1..d5994ec 100644
--- a/tests/test_key_handling/test_keystore.py
+++ b/tests/test_key_handling/test_keystore.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ from eth2deposit.key_handling.keystore import (
     Pbkdf2Keystore,
 )
 
-test_vector_password = 'testpassword'
+test_vector_password = '𝔱𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔭𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡🔑'
 test_vector_secret = bytes.fromhex('000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26f')
 test_vector_folder = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), 'tests', 'test_key_handling', 'keystore_test_vectors')
 _, _, test_vector_files = next(os.walk(test_vector_folder))  # type: ignore