diff --git a/myice/webapi.py b/myice/webapi.py
index 3c43f4c..5d88139 100644
--- a/myice/webapi.py
+++ b/myice/webapi.py
@@ -89,9 +89,8 @@ class AuthHeaders(BaseModel):
             # Decode JWT header and payload (without verification for simplicity in this example)
             parts = token.split(".")
             if len(parts) != 3:
-                # If not a standard JWT, treat as opaque token
-                # For now, we'll accept any non-empty token as valid for testing
-                return len(token) > 0
+                # Reject opaque or malformed tokens
+                return False
 
             # Decode payload (part 1)
             payload = parts[1]
@@ -110,10 +109,9 @@ class AuthHeaders(BaseModel):
 
             return True
         except Exception as e:
+            # Log the validation error but do NOT authenticate on failure
             print(f"Token validation error: {e}")
-            # Even if we can't validate the token, if it exists, we'll accept it for now
-            # This is for development/testing purposes only
-            return len(self.token()) > 0
+            return False
 
 
 class HealthCheck(BaseModel):