diff --git a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/BatchCreateUserAccountsController.java b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/BatchCreateUserAccountsController.java
index 1426aa330..7fb991877 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/BatchCreateUserAccountsController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/BatchCreateUserAccountsController.java
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 import java.util.Calendar;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.security.access.annotation.Secured;
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Controller;
 import org.springframework.ui.ModelMap;
 import org.springframework.validation.BindingResult;
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@
  *
  * @author Hiroki Terashima
  */
+@Secured("ROLE_ADMINISTRATOR")
 @Controller
 @RequestMapping("/admin/account/batchcreateuseraccounts.html")
 public class BatchCreateUserAccountsController {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/EnableDisableUserController.java b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/EnableDisableUserController.java
index e40c3c53e..683e52ba2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/EnableDisableUserController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/EnableDisableUserController.java
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.security.access.annotation.Secured;
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Controller;
 import org.springframework.ui.ModelMap;
 import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestMapping;
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@
  * Only accessed by a WISE admin user.
  * @author Hiroki Terashima
  */
+@Secured("ROLE_ADMINISTRATOR")
 @Controller
 @RequestMapping("/admin/account/enabledisableuser")
 public class EnableDisableUserController {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/LookupUserController.java b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/LookupUserController.java
index 0f9b93adc..009b7bc36 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/LookupUserController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/LookupUserController.java
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.security.access.annotation.Secured;
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Controller;
 import org.springframework.ui.ModelMap;
 import org.springframework.validation.BindingResult;
@@ -50,6 +51,7 @@
  * @author Patrick Lawler
  * @author Hiroki Terashima
  */
+@Secured("ROLE_ADMINISTRATOR")
 @Controller
 @RequestMapping("/admin/account/lookupuser")
 public class LookupUserController {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/ManageUserRolesController.java b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/ManageUserRolesController.java
index 5462caab0..a669be627 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/ManageUserRolesController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/ManageUserRolesController.java
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.security.access.annotation.Secured;
 import org.springframework.security.core.GrantedAuthority;
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Controller;
 import org.springframework.ui.ModelMap;
@@ -44,6 +45,7 @@
  *
  * @author Hiroki Terashima
  */
+@Secured("ROLE_ADMINISTRATOR")
 @Controller
 @RequestMapping("/admin/account/manageuserroles.html")
 public class ManageUserRolesController {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/ShowAllUsersController.java b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/ShowAllUsersController.java
index ea7aae0b5..38cb480bf 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/ShowAllUsersController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/ShowAllUsersController.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package org.wise.portal.presentation.web.controllers.admin;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.security.access.annotation.Secured;
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Controller;
 import org.springframework.ui.ModelMap;
 import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
@@ -8,6 +9,7 @@
 import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestParam;
 import org.wise.portal.service.authentication.UserDetailsService;
 
+@Secured("ROLE_ADMINISTRATOR")
 @Controller
 @RequestMapping("/admin/account/show-all-users")
 public class ShowAllUsersController {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/UpdateProjectSharedPermissionsAPIController.java b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/UpdateProjectSharedPermissionsAPIController.java
index 74a352317..cbff00917 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/UpdateProjectSharedPermissionsAPIController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/admin/UpdateProjectSharedPermissionsAPIController.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package org.wise.portal.presentation.web.controllers.admin;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.security.access.annotation.Secured;
 import org.springframework.security.acls.model.Permission;
 import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.*;
 import org.wise.portal.dao.ObjectNotFoundException;
@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Set;
 
+@Secured("ROLE_ADMINISTRATOR")
 @RestController
 @RequestMapping("/api/admin/project/shared")
 public class UpdateProjectSharedPermissionsAPIController {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/spring/impl/WebSecurityConfig.java b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/spring/impl/WebSecurityConfig.java
index b608d1272..0107e87e3 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/spring/impl/WebSecurityConfig.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/spring/impl/WebSecurityConfig.java
@@ -85,14 +85,25 @@ protected void configure(HttpSecurity http) throws Exception {
         .addFilterAfter(googleOpenIdConnectFilter(), OAuth2ClientContextFilter.class)
         .addFilterAfter(microsoftOpenIdConnectFilter(), OAuth2ClientContextFilter.class)
         .addFilterAfter(authenticationProcessingFilter(), GoogleOpenIdConnectFilter.class)
-        .authorizeRequests().antMatchers("/api/login/impersonate")
-        .hasAnyRole("ADMINISTRATOR", "RESEARCHER").antMatchers("/admin/**")
-        .hasAnyRole("ADMINISTRATOR", "RESEARCHER").antMatchers("/author/**").hasAnyRole("TEACHER")
+        .authorizeRequests()
+        // User, role, portal, news and destructive maintenance endpoints must be
+        // restricted to administrators. They were previously reachable by researchers
+        // through the broad "/admin/**" rule, which let a researcher grant themselves
+        // the administrator role or manage other users' accounts. These more specific
+        // rules are listed first so they take precedence over the broader ones below.
+        .antMatchers("/admin/account/**", "/admin/portal/**", "/admin/news/**",
+            "/admin/mergeProjectMetadata", "/admin/run/replacebase64withpng.html", "/api/admin/**")
+        .hasRole("ADMINISTRATOR")
+        .antMatchers("/api/login/impersonate").hasAnyRole("ADMINISTRATOR", "RESEARCHER")
+        .antMatchers("/admin/**").hasAnyRole("ADMINISTRATOR", "RESEARCHER")
+        .antMatchers("/author/**").hasAnyRole("TEACHER")
         .antMatchers("/project/notifyAuthor*/**").hasAnyRole("TEACHER")
-        .antMatchers("/student/account/info").hasAnyRole("TEACHER").antMatchers("/student/**")
-        .hasAnyRole("STUDENT").antMatchers("/studentStatus").hasAnyRole("TEACHER", "STUDENT")
-        .antMatchers("/teacher/**").hasAnyRole("TEACHER").antMatchers("/sso/discourse")
-        .hasAnyRole("TEACHER", "STUDENT").antMatchers("/").permitAll();
+        .antMatchers("/student/account/info").hasAnyRole("TEACHER")
+        .antMatchers("/student/**").hasAnyRole("STUDENT")
+        .antMatchers("/studentStatus").hasAnyRole("TEACHER", "STUDENT")
+        .antMatchers("/teacher/**").hasAnyRole("TEACHER")
+        .antMatchers("/sso/discourse").hasAnyRole("TEACHER", "STUDENT")
+        .antMatchers("/").permitAll();
     http.formLogin().loginPage("/login").permitAll();
     http.logout().addLogoutHandler(wiseLogoutHandler())
         .logoutRequestMatcher(new AntPathRequestMatcher("/api/logout"));