diff --git a/backend/__tests__/utils/tokenRevocation.forgery.test.js b/backend/__tests__/utils/tokenRevocation.forgery.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a5b54584
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/__tests__/utils/tokenRevocation.forgery.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+/**
+ * revokeToken() is reachable from the unauthenticated logout endpoints
+ * (POST /api/auth/logout, /gallery/logout, /customer-auth/logout). It used
+ * to base64-decode the payload without checking the signature and insert a
+ * row keyed on `${id}-${iat}-${type}` -- the same key isTokenRevoked()
+ * matches for real sessions. Anyone could therefore forge a payload naming
+ * another user's id, type and login second and log them out remotely, and
+ * with a far-future `exp` the row was never swept.
+ *
+ * The contract pinned here: only a token whose signature verifies under
+ * JWT_SECRET is written to revoked_tokens. Expired-but-genuine tokens are
+ * still accepted (logout must stay idempotent).
+ */
+const jwt = require('jsonwebtoken');
+
+process.env.JWT_SECRET = 'revocation-forgery-test-secret';
+
+const inserted = [];
+jest.mock('../../src/database/db', () => {
+  const dbFn = () => ({
+    insert(row) {
+      inserted.push(row);
+      return { onConflict: () => ({ ignore: async () => undefined }) };
+    },
+  });
+  return { db: dbFn };
+});
+jest.mock('../../src/utils/logger', () => ({
+  info: jest.fn(), warn: jest.fn(), error: jest.fn(), debug: jest.fn(),
+}));
+
+const { revokeToken } = require('../../src/utils/tokenRevocation');
+
+const iat = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) - 60;
+
+describe('revokeToken signature check', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => { inserted.length = 0; });
+
+  it('refuses a forged three-part token and writes nothing', async () => {
+    const forgedPayload = Buffer.from(JSON.stringify({
+      id: 1, iat, type: 'admin', exp: 9e9,
+    })).toString('base64');
+    const forged = `eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.${forgedPayload}.notasignature`;
+
+    const result = await revokeToken(forged, 'user_logout');
+
+    expect(result).toBe(false);
+    expect(inserted).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  it('refuses a token signed with a different secret', async () => {
+    const other = jwt.sign({ id: 1, iat, type: 'admin' }, 'some-other-secret', { expiresIn: '1h' });
+    expect(await revokeToken(other, 'user_logout')).toBe(false);
+    expect(inserted).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  it('revokes a genuine token', async () => {
+    const genuine = jwt.sign({ id: 1, iat, type: 'admin' }, process.env.JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn: '1h' });
+    expect(await revokeToken(genuine, 'user_logout')).toBe(true);
+    expect(inserted).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(inserted[0].token_id).toBe(`1-${iat}-admin`);
+  });
+
+  it('still revokes a genuine token that has already expired', async () => {
+    const expired = jwt.sign({ id: 1, iat, type: 'admin', exp: iat + 1 }, process.env.JWT_SECRET);
+    expect(await revokeToken(expired, 'user_logout')).toBe(true);
+    expect(inserted).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/backend/src/utils/tokenRevocation.js b/backend/src/utils/tokenRevocation.js
index b209ece9..222ba0d6 100644
--- a/backend/src/utils/tokenRevocation.js
+++ b/backend/src/utils/tokenRevocation.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
  * Provides ability to invalidate tokens before expiration
  */
 
+const jwt = require('jsonwebtoken');
 const { db } = require('../database/db');
 const logger = require('./logger');
 
@@ -28,15 +29,23 @@ function buildTokenId(payload) {
 
 async function revokeToken(token, reason, metadata = {}) {
   try {
-    // Extract token info without full verification (it might be compromised)
-    const parts = token.split('.');
-    if (parts.length !== 3) {
-      throw new Error('Invalid token format');
+    // The signature MUST be verified before anything is written. The
+    // revocation key is `${id}-${iat}-${type}` (buildTokenId), and the
+    // logout endpoints are unauthenticated, so a raw base64 decode let
+    // anyone forge a three-part string naming another user's id, type and
+    // login second and insert a row that isTokenRevoked() then matched for
+    // that user's real session -- a remote forced logout of any admin,
+    // customer or gallery session, plus never-swept rows when `exp` was set
+    // far in the future. Expiry is ignored on purpose: revoking an already
+    // expired token is harmless and keeps logout idempotent.
+    const payload = jwt.verify(token, process.env.JWT_SECRET, {
+      algorithms: ['HS256'],
+      ignoreExpiration: true,
+    });
+    if (!payload || typeof payload !== 'object') {
+      throw new Error('Invalid token payload');
     }
 
-    // Decode payload
-    const payload = JSON.parse(Buffer.from(parts[1], 'base64').toString());
-
     // user_id is integer-typed in revoked_tokens; for non-admin tokens
     // we may not have an integer (customer) or any id at all (gallery
     // tokens use eventId). Coerce to null instead of letting an