diff --git a/backend/app/rest/api/rest.go b/backend/app/rest/api/rest.go
index ea33d68f..ccad9e37 100644
--- a/backend/app/rest/api/rest.go
+++ b/backend/app/rest/api/rest.go
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ func (s *Rest) routes() chi.Router {
 
 			rauth.Put("/comment/{id}", s.updateCommentCtrl)
 			rauth.Post("/comment", s.createCommentCtrl)
-			rauth.Put("/vote/{id}", s.voteCtrl)
+			rauth.With(rejectAnonUser).Put("/vote/{id}", s.voteCtrl)
 			rauth.Post("/deleteme", s.deleteMeCtrl)
 		})
 	})
@@ -346,3 +346,21 @@ func URLKey(r *http.Request) string {
 	}
 	return key
 }
+
+// rejectAnonUser is a middleware rejecting anonymous users
+func rejectAnonUser(next http.Handler) http.Handler {
+	fn := func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		user, err := rest.GetUserInfo(r)
+		if err != nil {
+			http.Error(w, "Unauthorized", http.StatusUnauthorized)
+			return
+		}
+
+		if strings.HasPrefix(user.ID, "anonymous_") {
+			http.Error(w, "Access denied", http.StatusForbidden)
+			return
+		}
+		next.ServeHTTP(w, r)
+	}
+	return http.HandlerFunc(fn)
+}
diff --git a/backend/app/rest/api/rest_test.go b/backend/app/rest/api/rest_test.go
index 51ba067f..d21b1c6c 100644
--- a/backend/app/rest/api/rest_test.go
+++ b/backend/app/rest/api/rest_test.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
 	"github.com/umputun/remark/backend/app/migrator"
+	"github.com/umputun/remark/backend/app/rest"
 	"github.com/umputun/remark/backend/app/rest/proxy"
 	"github.com/umputun/remark/backend/app/store"
 	adminstore "github.com/umputun/remark/backend/app/store/admin"
@@ -176,6 +177,26 @@ func TestRest_RunAutocertModeHTTPOnly(t *testing.T) {
 	srv.Shutdown()
 }
 
+func Test_rejectAnonUser(t *testing.T) {
+
+	ts := httptest.NewServer(fakeAuth(rejectAnonUser(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "Hello")
+	}))))
+	defer ts.Close()
+
+	resp, err := http.Get(ts.URL)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, http.StatusUnauthorized, resp.StatusCode, "use not logged in")
+
+	resp, err = http.Get(ts.URL + "?fake_id=anonymous_user123&fake_name=test")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, http.StatusForbidden, resp.StatusCode, "anon rejected")
+
+	resp, err = http.Get(ts.URL + "?fake_id=real_user123&fake_name=test")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, http.StatusOK, resp.StatusCode, "real user")
+}
+
 func startupT(t *testing.T) (ts *httptest.Server, srv *Rest, teardown func()) {
 
 	testDb := fmt.Sprintf("/tmp/test-remark-%d.db", rand.Int31())
@@ -242,6 +263,20 @@ func startupT(t *testing.T) (ts *httptest.Server, srv *Rest, teardown func()) {
 	return ts, srv, teardown
 }
 
+// fake auth middleware make user authed and uses query's fake_id for ID and fake_name for Name
+func fakeAuth(next http.Handler) http.Handler {
+	fn := func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if r.URL.Query().Get("fake_id") != "" {
+			r = rest.SetUserInfo(r, store.User{
+				ID:   r.URL.Query().Get("fake_id"),
+				Name: r.URL.Query().Get("fake_name"),
+			})
+		}
+		next.ServeHTTP(w, r)
+	}
+	return http.HandlerFunc(fn)
+}
+
 func get(t *testing.T, url string) (string, int) {
 	r, err := http.Get(url)
 	require.Nil(t, err)