diff --git a/containers/container.go b/containers/container.go
index 7e236f50..a8541785 100644
--- a/containers/container.go
+++ b/containers/container.go
@@ -737,6 +737,18 @@ func (c *Container) onL7Request(pid uint32, fd uint64, timestamp uint64, r *l7.R
 	if timestamp != 0 && conn.Timestamp != timestamp {
 		return nil
 	}
+	if conn.dstWorkload.Namespace == "external" && (r.Protocol == l7.ProtocolHTTP || r.Protocol == l7.ProtocolHTTP2) {
+		if host, ok := iqfqdn[conn.DestinationKey.ActualDestination().IP()]; ok {
+			log.Printf("Setting external host %s", host)
+			conn.dstWorkload.Name = host
+		} else {
+			host, error := l7.ParseHostFromHttpRequest(string(r.Payload))
+			if error == nil {
+				conn.dstWorkload.Name = host
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	stats := c.l7Stats.get(r.Protocol, conn.DestinationKey, r, conn.srcWorkload, conn.DestinationKey.GetDestinationWorkload(), conn.DestinationKey.GetActualDestinationWorkload())
 
 	trace := c.tracer.NewTrace(conn.DestinationKey.ActualDestinationIfKnown(), conn.srcWorkload, conn.DestinationKey.GetDestinationWorkload(), conn.DestinationKey.GetActualDestinationWorkload())
@@ -747,13 +759,12 @@ func (c *Container) onL7Request(pid uint32, fd uint64, timestamp uint64, r *l7.R
 		method := ""
 		uri := ""
 		response := ""
-		host := ""
+		host := conn.dstWorkload.Name
 		headers := http.Header{}
 		req, err := l7.ParseHTTPRequest(r.Payload)
 		if err != nil {
 			log.Printf("Failed to parse payload %s, %q", err, string(r.Payload))
 			method, uri = l7.ParseHttp(r.Payload)
-			host, _ = l7.ParseHostFromHttpRequest(string(r.Payload))
 		} else {
 			if req != nil && req.Body != nil {
 				body, _ := io.ReadAll(req.Body)
@@ -768,7 +779,6 @@ func (c *Container) onL7Request(pid uint32, fd uint64, timestamp uint64, r *l7.R
 				klog.Warningf("Non-utf8 characters in uri %q", req.URL.Path)
 				uri = string([]rune(req.URL.Path))
 			}
-			host = req.Host
 			if req.Header != nil {
 				headers = req.Header
 			}
diff --git a/containers/l7.go b/containers/l7.go
index 3da4c98c..274bd093 100644
--- a/containers/l7.go
+++ b/containers/l7.go
@@ -75,14 +75,6 @@ func (s L7Stats) get(protocol l7.Protocol, key common.DestinationKey, r *l7.Requ
 				log.Printf("Failed to parse path %s", path)
 			}
 			constLabels["method"] = method
-			if dstWorkload.Namespace == "external" {
-				host, err := l7.ParseHostFromHttpRequest(string(r.Payload))
-				if host != "" {
-					constLabels["destination_workload_name"] = host
-				} else {
-					log.Printf("Failed to parse host %s , %v", string(r.Payload), err)
-				}
-			}
 			hOpts := L7Latency[protocol]
 			m.Latency = prometheus.NewHistogram(
 				prometheus.HistogramOpts{Name: hOpts.Name, Help: hOpts.Help, ConstLabels: constLabels},
diff --git a/ebpftracer/tracer.go b/ebpftracer/tracer.go
index 3da3678d..fd8d4da1 100644
--- a/ebpftracer/tracer.go
+++ b/ebpftracer/tracer.go
@@ -388,11 +388,32 @@ func runEventsReader(name string, r *perf.Reader, ch chan<- Event, typ perfMapTy
 			v := &l7Event{}
 			data := rec.RawSample
 			reader := bytes.NewBuffer(data)
+
+			// Ensure binary.Read does not fail before proceeding
 			if err := binary.Read(reader, binary.LittleEndian, v); err != nil {
 				klog.Warningln("failed to read msg:", err)
 				continue
 			}
+
 			payload := reader.Bytes()
+			expectedSize := int(v.PayloadSize) + int(v.ResponseSize)
+
+			// If the actual payload is smaller than expected, we log a warning and adjust
+			if len(payload) < expectedSize {
+				klog.Warningf("Payload too small (got %d bytes, expected %d), adjusting sizes", len(payload), expectedSize)
+			}
+
+			// Compute safe slicing limits
+			payloadEnd := min(int(v.PayloadSize), len(payload))
+			responseEnd := min(payloadEnd+int(v.ResponseSize), len(payload))
+
+			// Always copy to prevent garbage data from reused buffers
+			payloadData := make([]byte, payloadEnd)
+			copy(payloadData, payload[:payloadEnd])
+
+			responseData := make([]byte, responseEnd-payloadEnd)
+			copy(responseData, payload[payloadEnd:responseEnd])
+
 			req := &l7.RequestData{
 				Protocol:     l7.Protocol(v.Protocol),
 				Status:       l7.Status(v.Status),
@@ -401,23 +422,17 @@ func runEventsReader(name string, r *perf.Reader, ch chan<- Event, typ perfMapTy
 				StatementId:  v.StatementId,
 				PayloadSize:  v.PayloadSize,
 				ResponseSize: v.ResponseSize,
+				Payload:      payloadData,
+				Response:     responseData,
 			}
-			switch {
-			case v.PayloadSize == 0:
-			case v.PayloadSize > MaxPayloadSize && v.ResponseSize > MaxPayloadSize:
-				req.Payload = payload[:MaxPayloadSize]
-				req.Response = payload[MaxPayloadSize:]
-			case v.PayloadSize > MaxPayloadSize:
-				req.Payload = payload[:MaxPayloadSize]
-				req.Response = payload[MaxPayloadSize : MaxPayloadSize+v.ResponseSize]
-			case v.ResponseSize > MaxPayloadSize:
-				req.Payload = payload[:v.PayloadSize]
-				req.Response = payload[MaxPayloadSize:]
-			default:
-				req.Payload = payload[:v.PayloadSize]
-				req.Response = payload[MaxPayloadSize : MaxPayloadSize+v.ResponseSize]
+
+			event = Event{
+				Type:      EventTypeL7Request,
+				Pid:       v.Pid,
+				Fd:        v.Fd,
+				Timestamp: v.ConnectionTimestamp,
+				L7Request: req,
 			}
-			event = Event{Type: EventTypeL7Request, Pid: v.Pid, Fd: v.Fd, Timestamp: v.ConnectionTimestamp, L7Request: req}
 		case perfMapTypeFileEvents:
 			v := &fileEvent{}
 			if err := binary.Read(bytes.NewBuffer(rec.RawSample), binary.LittleEndian, v); err != nil {