diff --git a/backend/routes/loginRouter.js b/backend/routes/loginRouter.js
index 9dfa88e..e7efc8c 100644
--- a/backend/routes/loginRouter.js
+++ b/backend/routes/loginRouter.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ const bcrypt = require('bcrypt');                           // Compare password
 const jwt = require('jsonwebtoken');                        // Initiate JWT session
 const { validationResult } = require("express-validator");  // Validate credentials
 const logger = require("../logger.js");
+const rateLimit = require('express-rate-limit');
 
 // Validation middleware
 const { usernameValidator, passwordValidator } = require('../validators.js');
@@ -11,6 +12,18 @@ const pool = require('../psql.js');
 
 const LoginRouter = require("express").Router();
 
+// route rate limiters
+const loginLimiter = rateLimit({
+    windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
+    max: 10, // Limit each IP to 10 login attempts per windowMs
+    message: {
+        status: 429,
+        error: 'Too many login attempts, please try again later.'
+    },
+    standardHeaders: true,
+    legacyHeaders: false,
+});
+
 /**
  * @route POST /login
  * @desc Handles user login, validating credentials, checking user existence in the database, verifying password, and initiating a session via JWT if successful.
@@ -40,6 +53,7 @@ const LoginRouter = require("express").Router();
  */
 LoginRouter.post(
     '/',
+    loginLimiter,
     [
         usernameValidator,
         passwordValidator
diff --git a/backend/routes/protectedRouter.js b/backend/routes/protectedRouter.js
index 15cd060..3f23673 100644
--- a/backend/routes/protectedRouter.js
+++ b/backend/routes/protectedRouter.js
@@ -4,36 +4,54 @@
 
 const jwt = require('jsonwebtoken');
 const logger = require('../logger.js');
+const rateLimit = require('express-rate-limit');
 
 const ProtectedRouter = require('express').Router();
 
+const authLimiter = rateLimit({
+    windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
+    max: 100 // limit each IP to 100 requests per windowMs
+});
+
+// Validate JWT_SECRET at startup
+if (!process.env.JWT_SECRET || process.env.JWT_SECRET.length < 32) {
+    throw new Error('JWT_SECRET must be set and at least 32 characters long');
+}
+
 // Middleware to authenticate token
 function authenticateToken(req, res, next) {
     const authHeader = req.headers['authorization'];
     const token = authHeader && authHeader.split(' ')[1]; // Extract token after 'Bearer'
 
-    if (!token) {
-        logger.warn(`Unauthorized attempt to access protected data from IP: %s`, req.ip);
-        return res.status(401).json({ message: 'Token missing.' });
+    if (!token || !/^[\w-]*\.[\w-]*\.[\w-]*$/.test(token)) {
+        logger.warn(`Invalid token format from IP: ${req.ip}`);
+        return res.status(401).json({ message: 'Invalid authentication' });
     }
 
     jwt.verify(token, process.env.JWT_SECRET, (err, user) => {
-        if (!process.env.JWT_SECRET) {
-            logger.error('JWT_SECRET environment variable is not set');
-            return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Server configuration error' });
-        }
         if (err) {
-            logger.warn(`Attempt to access protected data with expired JWT from IP: %s`, req.ip);
+            logger.warn(`JWT verification failed from IP: ${req.ip}`);
             return res.status(403).json({ message: 'Token invalid or expired.' });
         }
-        req.user = user;
+        // Only store necessary user data
+        req.user = {
+            id: user.id,
+            role: user.role
+        };
         next();
     });
 }
 
-ProtectedRouter.get('/', authenticateToken, (req, res) => {
-    logger.info(`User %s accessed protected data from IP: %s`, req.user, req.ip);
-    res.status(200).json({ data: 'This is protected data.', user: req.user });
-});
+ProtectedRouter.get('/', 
+    authLimiter,
+    authenticateToken, 
+    (req, res) => {
+        logger.info(`User %s accessed protected data from IP: %s`, req.user, req.ip);
+        res.status(200).json({ 
+            data: 'This is protected data.', 
+            user: req.user.id 
+        });
+    }
+);
 
 module.exports = ProtectedRouter;
diff --git a/backend/server.js b/backend/server.js
index 5698609..c7da403 100644
--- a/backend/server.js
+++ b/backend/server.js
@@ -91,21 +91,9 @@ app.get('/init-session', (req, res) => {
     res.sendStatus(200); // Respond with OK status
 });
 
-// route rate limiters
-const loginLimiter = rateLimit({
-    windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
-    max: 10, // Limit each IP to 10 login attempts per windowMs
-    message: {
-        status: 429,
-        error: 'Too many login attempts, please try again later.'
-    },
-    standardHeaders: true,
-    legacyHeaders: false,
-});
-
 // routes
 app.use('/users', UsersRouter);
-app.use('/login', loginLimiter, LoginRouter);
+app.use('/login', LoginRouter);
 app.use('/protected', ProtectedRouter);
 app.use('/advice', AdviceRouter);