diff --git a/core/artwork/serving.go b/core/artwork/serving.go
index 4b86644d9..4cdd04883 100644
--- a/core/artwork/serving.go
+++ b/core/artwork/serving.go
@@ -308,6 +308,10 @@ func (s *service) enqueue(ctx context.Context, artID model.ArtworkID, priority i
 }
 
 func (s *service) placeholder(kind model.Kind) *Image {
+	return placeholderImage(kind)
+}
+
+func placeholderImage(kind model.Kind) *Image {
 	path := consts.PlaceholderAlbumArt
 	if kind == model.KindArtistArtwork {
 		path = consts.PlaceholderArtistArt
@@ -316,6 +320,13 @@ func (s *service) placeholder(kind model.Kind) *Image {
 	return &Image{ReadCloser: r, Placeholder: true}
 }
 
+// PlaceholderFor returns the kind-appropriate placeholder for an artwork id, for callers that must
+// serve a placeholder without consulting persisted state (e.g. an access-control denial).
+func PlaceholderFor(id string) *Image {
+	artID, _ := model.ParseArtworkID(id)
+	return placeholderImage(artID.Kind)
+}
+
 type coverArtIDGetter interface {
 	CoverArtID() model.ArtworkID
 }
diff --git a/server/subsonic/media_retrieval.go b/server/subsonic/media_retrieval.go
index 30124c5f8..35e9c1945 100644
--- a/server/subsonic/media_retrieval.go
+++ b/server/subsonic/media_retrieval.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/conf"
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/consts"
+	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/core/artwork"
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/log"
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/model"
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/resources"
@@ -78,6 +79,14 @@ func (api *Router) GetCoverArt(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) (*respons
 		log.Error(r, "Error retrieving coverArt", "id", id, err)
 		return nil, err
 	}
+
+	// Access control: the serving path reads persisted state by id, bypassing the library and
+	// private-playlist filters. On this authenticated path, fall back to the placeholder for an
+	// entity the caller cannot see, so a guessed id can't leak artwork (matches the legacy load).
+	if id != "" && !img.Placeholder && !api.artworkAccessible(ctx, id) {
+		_ = img.Close()
+		img = artwork.PlaceholderFor(id)
+	}
 	defer img.Close()
 
 	artID, _ := model.ParseArtworkID(id)
@@ -92,6 +101,37 @@ func (api *Router) GetCoverArt(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) (*respons
 	return nil, err
 }
 
+// artworkAccessible reports whether the caller may view the artwork for id, by resolving the
+// underlying entity through the request-scoped (filtered) repositories. Radios are global and
+// always accessible; an unparsable/unknown id defers to GetEntityByID.
+func (api *Router) artworkAccessible(ctx context.Context, id string) bool {
+	artID, err := model.ParseArtworkID(id)
+	if err != nil {
+		_, err := model.GetEntityByID(ctx, api.ds, id)
+		return err == nil
+	}
+	var lookupErr error
+	switch artID.Kind {
+	case model.KindArtistArtwork:
+		_, lookupErr = api.ds.Artist(ctx).Get(artID.ID)
+	case model.KindAlbumArtwork:
+		_, lookupErr = api.ds.Album(ctx).Get(artID.ID)
+	case model.KindMediaFileArtwork:
+		_, lookupErr = api.ds.MediaFile(ctx).Get(artID.ID)
+	case model.KindPlaylistArtwork:
+		_, lookupErr = api.ds.Playlist(ctx).Get(artID.ID)
+	case model.KindDiscArtwork:
+		albumID, _, perr := model.ParseDiscArtworkID(artID.ID)
+		if perr != nil {
+			return false
+		}
+		_, lookupErr = api.ds.Album(ctx).Get(albumID)
+	default: // radio and anything else has no per-user artwork access control
+		return true
+	}
+	return lookupErr == nil
+}
+
 func (api *Router) GetLyrics(r *http.Request) (*responses.Subsonic, error) {
 	p := req.Params(r)
 	artist, _ := p.String("artist")
diff --git a/server/subsonic/media_retrieval_test.go b/server/subsonic/media_retrieval_test.go
index db15d5bfd..1f6cbe84d 100644
--- a/server/subsonic/media_retrieval_test.go
+++ b/server/subsonic/media_retrieval_test.go
@@ -30,8 +30,11 @@ var _ = Describe("MediaRetrievalController", func() {
 	var w *httptest.ResponseRecorder
 
 	BeforeEach(func() {
+		albumRepo := &tests.MockAlbumRepo{}
+		albumRepo.SetData(model.Albums{{ID: "34"}}) // the id the specs request, made accessible
 		ds = &tests.MockDataStore{
 			MockedMediaFile: mockRepo,
+			MockedAlbum:     albumRepo,
 		}
 		artwork = &fakeArtwork{data: "image data"}
 		router = New(ds, artwork, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil, lyrics.NewLyrics(ds, nil), nil, nil)
@@ -60,6 +63,18 @@ var _ = Describe("MediaRetrievalController", func() {
 			Expect(w.Body.String()).To(Equal(artwork.data))
 		})
 
+		It("serves a placeholder for an entity the caller cannot access", func() {
+			// al-99 is not in the (filtered) album repo, so the caller must not get its bytes.
+			r := newGetRequest("id=al-99")
+			_, err := router.GetCoverArt(w, r)
+
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(w.Code).To(Equal(200))
+			Expect(w.Body.String()).ToNot(Equal(artwork.data))
+			Expect(w.Header().Get("Cache-Control")).To(Equal("no-store"))
+			Expect(w.Header().Get("ETag")).To(BeEmpty())
+		})
+
 		It("should fail when the file is not found", func() {
 			artwork.err = model.ErrNotFound
 			r := newGetRequest("id=34", "size=128", "square=true")