diff --git a/includes/admin/settings/class-settings-sanitize.php b/includes/admin/settings/class-settings-sanitize.php
index 3985096..86dad7f 100644
--- a/includes/admin/settings/class-settings-sanitize.php
+++ b/includes/admin/settings/class-settings-sanitize.php
@@ -175,7 +175,8 @@ public function sanitize_postids_field( $value ) {
 		$ids = array_filter( array_map( 'absint', explode( ',', sanitize_text_field( wp_unslash( $value ) ) ) ) );
 
 		foreach ( $ids as $key => $value ) {
-			if ( false === get_post_status( $value ) ) {
+			// Drop missing posts, and posts the saving user cannot read (CLI and cron have no user).
+			if ( false === get_post_status( $value ) || ( is_user_logged_in() && ! current_user_can( 'read_post', $value ) ) ) {
 				unset( $ids[ $key ] );
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/includes/rest/class-rest-controller.php b/includes/rest/class-rest-controller.php
index 31f5ba5..b5ba006 100644
--- a/includes/rest/class-rest-controller.php
+++ b/includes/rest/class-rest-controller.php
@@ -654,7 +654,9 @@ public function get_related_articles( WP_REST_Request $request ) {
 		}
 
 		$post = get_post( $post_id );
-		if ( ! $post || 'wz_knowledgebase' !== $post->post_type ) {
+
+		// Answer as if the article does not exist when the visitor cannot read it.
+		if ( ! $post || 'wz_knowledgebase' !== $post->post_type || ! ( is_post_publicly_viewable( $post ) || current_user_can( 'read_post', $post->ID ) ) ) {
 			return new WP_Error(
 				'wzkb_rest_post_not_found',
 				__( 'Knowledge Base post not found.', 'knowledgebase' ),
diff --git a/knowledgebase.php b/knowledgebase.php
index 63258b9..767ec23 100644
--- a/knowledgebase.php
+++ b/knowledgebase.php
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
  * Plugin Name: WebberZone Knowledge Base
  * Plugin URI: https://webberzone.com/plugins/knowledgebase/
  * Description: Create a multi-product knowledge base on your WordPress site.
- * Version: 3.2.3
+ * Version: 3.2.4
  * Author: WebberZone
  * Author URI: https://webberzone.com
  * License: GPL-2.0+
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
 	 *
 	 * @var string $wzkb_version Plugin version
 	 */
-	define( 'WZKB_VERSION', '3.2.3' );
+	define( 'WZKB_VERSION', '3.2.4' );
 }
 
 if ( ! defined( 'WZKB_PLUGIN_DIR' ) ) {
diff --git a/readme.txt b/readme.txt
index af3b88c..3cb8bf0 100644
--- a/readme.txt
+++ b/readme.txt
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ Tags: knowledge base, documentation, FAQ, support, wiki
 Requires at least: 6.9
 Tested up to: 7.1
 Requires PHP: 7.4
-Stable tag: 3.2.3
+Stable tag: 3.2.4
 License: GPLv2 or later
 License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
 
@@ -183,6 +183,14 @@ You can report security bugs through the Patchstack Vulnerability Disclosure Pro
 
 == Changelog ==
 
+= 3.2.4 =
+
+Release date: 2 November 2026
+
+**Security**
+
+* Hardened the related articles REST endpoint.
+
 = 3.2.3 =
 
 Release date: 1 November 2026
@@ -264,14 +272,5 @@ For the changelog of earlier versions, please refer to the [releases page on Git
 
 == Upgrade Notice ==
 
-= 3.2.3 =
-Fixes wrong thumbnails on attachment pages and, in Pro, code blocks, lists and shared article products in GitHub imports and Markdown exports.
-
-= 3.2.2 =
-Security release. Prevents private articles from appearing in Pro Help widget suggestions and hardens thumbnail URLs. Also fixes errors with malformed thumbnail dimensions. Update recommended.
-
-= 3.2.1 =
-Security release. Stops password-protected and private articles leaking through the REST API, listings, tables of contents and thumbnails. Also brings faster Pro Ask the Docs answers with model choice, a fallback provider and better caching, and keeps captions in Pro GitHub imports.
-
-= 3.2.0 =
-Requires WordPress 6.9. Adds Abilities API tools for article search, section discovery and Pro draft creation. Pro also gains Ask the Docs (beta), grounded answers and a Content gaps report; this feature requires WordPress 7.0.
+= 3.2.4 =
+Security hardening release. Update recommended.