diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5d33cf4..f1b9832 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
 All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 
 ## [v1.91.0]
+- Added SSRF protection for credential validation: outbound HTTP requests now block connections to loopback, private, link-local, and other non-public IP addresses. Redirect targets are also validated. Use `--allow-internal-ips` to opt out when scanning internal infrastructure.
+- Consolidated JWT SSRF checks to use the shared `is_ssrf_safe_ip` function, covering additional reserved ranges (CGNAT, documentation, benchmarking, IPv6 unique-local).
+- Removed `ipnet` dependency from `kingfisher-scanner` (no longer needed).
 - Remediated current RustSec vulnerability findings by upgrading core dependencies including `gix`, `mysql_async`, `axum`, `indicatif`, `quick-xml`, and `console`.
 - Added `make audit-deps` to run `cargo audit` locally and report vulnerable dependencies.
 - Refreshed pinned GitHub Actions for `swatinem/rust-cache`, `msys2/setup-msys2`, and `ncipollo/release-action`, and configured Dependabot to ignore selected GitHub Action major-version bumps.
diff --git a/crates/kingfisher-scanner/Cargo.toml b/crates/kingfisher-scanner/Cargo.toml
index 2966d6e..d7b2c3f 100644
--- a/crates/kingfisher-scanner/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/kingfisher-scanner/Cargo.toml
@@ -74,7 +74,6 @@ validation-gcp = [
 validation-jwt = [
     "validation-http",
     "dep:chrono",
-    "dep:ipnet",
     "dep:jsonwebtoken",
     "dep:tokio",
 ]
@@ -166,7 +165,7 @@ sha2 = { workspace = true, optional = true }
 pem = { version = "3.0.6", optional = true }
 percent-encoding = { workspace = true, optional = true }
 ring = { version = "0.17", optional = true }
-ipnet = { version = "2.11", optional = true }
+
 jsonwebtoken = { version = "10.2.0", features = ["aws-lc-rs"], optional = true }
 p256 = { version = "0.13.2", optional = true }
 ed25519-dalek = { version = "2.2", features = ["pkcs8"], optional = true }
diff --git a/crates/kingfisher-scanner/src/validation/http_validation.rs b/crates/kingfisher-scanner/src/validation/http_validation.rs
index 52b3ab8..9071570 100644
--- a/crates/kingfisher-scanner/src/validation/http_validation.rs
+++ b/crates/kingfisher-scanner/src/validation/http_validation.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use std::{collections::BTreeMap, future::Future, str::FromStr, time::Duration};
+use std::{collections::BTreeMap, future::Future, net::IpAddr, str::FromStr, time::Duration};
 
 use anyhow::{anyhow, Error, Result};
 use http::StatusCode;
@@ -392,10 +392,220 @@ pub fn validate_response(
     word_ok && status_ok && header_ok && json_ok && xml_ok && html_ok
 }
 
-/// Check if a URL can be resolved via DNS.
-pub async fn check_url_resolvable(url: &Url) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+/// Returns `true` if the IP address is safe for outbound validation requests
+/// (i.e., it is a publicly routable address, not internal/reserved).
+pub fn is_ssrf_safe_ip(ip: &IpAddr) -> bool {
+    if ip.is_loopback() || ip.is_unspecified() || ip.is_multicast() {
+        return false;
+    }
+    match ip {
+        IpAddr::V4(v4) => {
+            let octets = v4.octets();
+            // Private ranges (RFC 1918)
+            if octets[0] == 10 {
+                return false;
+            }
+            if octets[0] == 172 && (16..=31).contains(&octets[1]) {
+                return false;
+            }
+            if octets[0] == 192 && octets[1] == 168 {
+                return false;
+            }
+            // Link-local (169.254.0.0/16) — includes AWS metadata 169.254.169.254
+            if octets[0] == 169 && octets[1] == 254 {
+                return false;
+            }
+            // CGNAT / Shared Address Space (100.64.0.0/10)
+            if octets[0] == 100 && (64..=127).contains(&octets[1]) {
+                return false;
+            }
+            // Documentation ranges (RFC 5737)
+            if octets[0] == 192 && octets[1] == 0 && octets[2] == 2 {
+                return false;
+            }
+            if octets[0] == 198 && octets[1] == 51 && octets[2] == 100 {
+                return false;
+            }
+            if octets[0] == 203 && octets[1] == 0 && octets[2] == 113 {
+                return false;
+            }
+            // Benchmarking (198.18.0.0/15)
+            if octets[0] == 198 && (18..=19).contains(&octets[1]) {
+                return false;
+            }
+            // Broadcast
+            if octets == [255, 255, 255, 255] {
+                return false;
+            }
+            true
+        }
+        IpAddr::V6(v6) => {
+            let segments = v6.segments();
+            // Unique local (fc00::/7)
+            if segments[0] & 0xfe00 == 0xfc00 {
+                return false;
+            }
+            // Link-local (fe80::/10)
+            if segments[0] & 0xffc0 == 0xfe80 {
+                return false;
+            }
+            true
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Check if a URL can be resolved via DNS, with SSRF protection against
+/// internal/private IP addresses.
+pub async fn check_url_resolvable(
+    url: &Url,
+    allow_internal_ips: bool,
+) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
     let host = url.host_str().ok_or("No host in URL")?;
     let port = url.port().unwrap_or(if url.scheme() == "https" { 443 } else { 80 });
     let addr = format!("{}:{}", host, port);
-    lookup_host(addr).await?.next().ok_or_else(|| "Failed to resolve URL".into()).map(|_| ())
+    let mut resolved_any = false;
+    for socket_addr in lookup_host(&addr).await? {
+        resolved_any = true;
+        if !allow_internal_ips && !is_ssrf_safe_ip(&socket_addr.ip()) {
+            return Err(format!(
+                "SSRF protection: resolved IP {} for host '{}' is not a public address. \
+                 Use --allow-internal-ips to permit internal addresses.",
+                socket_addr.ip(),
+                host
+            )
+            .into());
+        }
+    }
+    if !resolved_any {
+        return Err("Failed to resolve URL".into());
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use std::net::{IpAddr, Ipv4Addr, Ipv6Addr};
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_ipv4_loopback() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(127, 0, 0, 1))));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(127, 255, 255, 255))));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_ipv4_unspecified() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::UNSPECIFIED)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_ipv4_private_rfc1918() {
+        // 10.0.0.0/8
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(10, 0, 0, 1))));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(10, 255, 255, 255))));
+        // 172.16.0.0/12
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(172, 16, 0, 1))));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(172, 31, 255, 255))));
+        // 192.168.0.0/16
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(192, 168, 0, 1))));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(192, 168, 255, 255))));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_link_local_and_metadata() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(169, 254, 0, 1))));
+        // AWS/GCP/Azure metadata endpoint
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(169, 254, 169, 254))));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_cgnat() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(100, 64, 0, 1))));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(100, 127, 255, 255))));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_documentation_ranges() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(192, 0, 2, 1))));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(198, 51, 100, 1))));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(203, 0, 113, 1))));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_benchmarking() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(198, 18, 0, 1))));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(198, 19, 255, 255))));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_broadcast() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::BROADCAST)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_multicast() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(224, 0, 0, 1))));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_ipv6_loopback() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V6(Ipv6Addr::LOCALHOST)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_ipv6_unspecified() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V6(Ipv6Addr::UNSPECIFIED)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_ipv6_unique_local() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V6(Ipv6Addr::new(0xfc00, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1))));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V6(Ipv6Addr::new(0xfd00, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1))));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_ipv6_link_local() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V6(Ipv6Addr::new(0xfe80, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1))));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn accepts_public_ipv4() {
+        assert!(is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(8, 8, 8, 8))));
+        assert!(is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(1, 1, 1, 1))));
+        assert!(is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(93, 184, 216, 34))));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn accepts_public_ipv6() {
+        assert!(is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V6(Ipv6Addr::new(0x2606, 0x4700, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0x1111))));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn accepts_edge_cases_outside_private_ranges() {
+        // 172.15.x.x is NOT private (private is 172.16-31)
+        assert!(is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(172, 15, 255, 255))));
+        // 172.32.x.x is NOT private
+        assert!(is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(172, 32, 0, 1))));
+        // 100.63.x.x is NOT CGNAT (CGNAT is 100.64-127)
+        assert!(is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(100, 63, 255, 255))));
+        // 100.128.x.x is NOT CGNAT
+        assert!(is_ssrf_safe_ip(&IpAddr::V4(Ipv4Addr::new(100, 128, 0, 1))));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn check_url_resolvable_rejects_localhost() {
+        let url = Url::parse("https://localhost/test").unwrap();
+        let result = check_url_resolvable(&url, false).await;
+        assert!(result.is_err());
+        let err = result.unwrap_err().to_string();
+        assert!(err.contains("SSRF protection"), "expected SSRF error, got: {}", err);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn check_url_resolvable_allows_localhost_when_permitted() {
+        let url = Url::parse("https://localhost/test").unwrap();
+        // With allow_internal_ips=true, localhost should resolve successfully
+        let result = check_url_resolvable(&url, true).await;
+        assert!(result.is_ok(), "expected Ok with allow_internal_ips=true, got: {:?}", result);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/kingfisher-scanner/src/validation/jwt.rs b/crates/kingfisher-scanner/src/validation/jwt.rs
index 455ef1e..3e48d1a 100644
--- a/crates/kingfisher-scanner/src/validation/jwt.rs
+++ b/crates/kingfisher-scanner/src/validation/jwt.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 use anyhow::{anyhow, Result};
 use base64::{engine::general_purpose::URL_SAFE_NO_PAD, Engine as _};
 use chrono::Utc;
-use ipnet::IpNet;
 use jsonwebtoken::{
     decode, decode_header, jwk::JwkSet, Algorithm, DecodingKey, Validation as JwtValidation,
 };
@@ -10,7 +9,7 @@ use reqwest::{redirect::Policy, Client, Url};
 use serde::Deserialize;
 use tokio::net::lookup_host;
 
-use super::http_validation::check_url_resolvable;
+use super::http_validation::{check_url_resolvable, is_ssrf_safe_ip};
 
 /// Global redirect-free client with strict TLS validation.
 static STRICT_CLIENT: Lazy<Client> = Lazy::new(|| {
@@ -38,9 +37,6 @@ fn get_client(lax_tls: bool) -> &'static Client {
     }
 }
 
-/// RFC 1918 + loopback + link-local nets we refuse to contact.
-const BLOCKED_NETS: &[&str] =
-    &["10.0.0.0/8", "172.16.0.0/12", "192.168.0.0/16", "127.0.0.0/8", "169.254.0.0/16"];
 
 #[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
 #[serde(untagged)]
@@ -66,11 +62,16 @@ pub struct ValidateOptions {
 }
 
 /// Backwards-compatible entry point with secure defaults.
-pub async fn validate_jwt(token: &str, lax_tls: bool) -> Result<(bool, String)> {
+pub async fn validate_jwt(
+    token: &str,
+    lax_tls: bool,
+    allow_internal_ips: bool,
+) -> Result<(bool, String)> {
     validate_jwt_with(
         token,
         &ValidateOptions { allow_alg_none: false, fallback_decoding_key: None },
         lax_tls,
+        allow_internal_ips,
     )
     .await
 }
@@ -80,6 +81,7 @@ pub async fn validate_jwt_with(
     token: &str,
     opts: &ValidateOptions,
     lax_tls: bool,
+    allow_internal_ips: bool,
 ) -> Result<(bool, String)> {
     let client = get_client(lax_tls);
     let claims: Claims = {
@@ -197,13 +199,17 @@ pub async fn validate_jwt_with(
         ));
     }
 
-    for addr in lookup_host((jwks_host.as_str(), 443)).await? {
-        if is_blocked_ip(addr.ip()) {
-            return Ok((false, "jwks_uri resolves to private or link-local IP".to_string()));
+    if !allow_internal_ips {
+        for addr in lookup_host((jwks_host.as_str(), 443)).await? {
+            if !is_ssrf_safe_ip(&addr.ip()) {
+                return Ok((false, "jwks_uri resolves to private or link-local IP".to_string()));
+            }
         }
     }
 
-    check_url_resolvable(&url).await.map_err(|e| anyhow!("jwks uri unresolvable: {e}"))?;
+    check_url_resolvable(&url, allow_internal_ips)
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| anyhow!("jwks uri unresolvable: {e}"))?;
 
     let jwks_resp = client.get(url).send().await.map_err(|e| anyhow!("jwks fetch failed: {e}"))?;
     if !jwks_resp.status().is_success() {
@@ -240,9 +246,6 @@ fn extract_aud_strings(claims: &Claims) -> Vec<String> {
     }
 }
 
-fn is_blocked_ip(ip: std::net::IpAddr) -> bool {
-    BLOCKED_NETS.iter().filter_map(|cidr| cidr.parse::<IpNet>().ok()).any(|net| net.contains(&ip))
-}
 
 fn normalize_issuer_url(issuer: &str) -> Result<Url> {
     let trimmed = issuer.trim();
diff --git a/crates/kingfisher-scanner/src/validation/mod.rs b/crates/kingfisher-scanner/src/validation/mod.rs
index 2da8631..82addc0 100644
--- a/crates/kingfisher-scanner/src/validation/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/kingfisher-scanner/src/validation/mod.rs
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@ pub use validation_body::{as_str, clone_as_string, from_string, ValidationRespon
 
 #[cfg(feature = "validation-http")]
 pub use http_validation::{
-    build_request_builder, check_url_resolvable, generate_http_cache_key_parts, parse_http_method,
+    build_request_builder, check_url_resolvable, generate_http_cache_key_parts, is_ssrf_safe_ip,
+    parse_http_method,
     process_headers, retry_multipart_request, retry_request, validate_response,
 };
 
diff --git a/docs/USAGE.md b/docs/USAGE.md
index 3514df4..cfe4293 100644
--- a/docs/USAGE.md
+++ b/docs/USAGE.md
@@ -986,6 +986,42 @@ The legacy `--ignore-certs` flag is still supported as an alias for `--tls-mode=
 
 ---
 
+## SSRF Protection
+
+Kingfisher makes outbound HTTP requests during credential validation, with URLs sometimes constructed from user-controlled data found in scanned content (e.g., domain names extracted alongside API keys). To prevent Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF), Kingfisher blocks validation requests that would connect to non-public IP addresses.
+
+### What is blocked
+
+By default, validation requests are rejected if the target hostname resolves to any of these address ranges:
+
+| Range | Description |
+| ----- | ----------- |
+| `127.0.0.0/8`, `::1` | Loopback (localhost) |
+| `0.0.0.0`, `::` | Unspecified |
+| `10.0.0.0/8`, `172.16.0.0/12`, `192.168.0.0/16` | Private networks (RFC 1918) |
+| `169.254.0.0/16`, `fe80::/10` | Link-local (includes cloud metadata at `169.254.169.254`) |
+| `100.64.0.0/10` | CGNAT / Shared Address Space |
+| `fc00::/7` | IPv6 unique-local |
+| Multicast, broadcast, documentation, benchmarking ranges | Other reserved ranges |
+
+HTTP redirects to IP-literal addresses in these ranges are also blocked.
+
+### `--allow-internal-ips`
+
+If you are scanning infrastructure that uses internal endpoints for credential validation (e.g., self-hosted GitLab, Artifactory, or Vault behind a private network), use `--allow-internal-ips` to disable SSRF protections:
+
+```bash
+# Scan with SSRF protection disabled (allows requests to internal IPs)
+kingfisher scan --allow-internal-ips ./repo
+
+# Also works with validate and revoke commands
+kingfisher validate --allow-internal-ips --rule kingfisher.artifactory.1
+```
+
+> **Warning:** Only use `--allow-internal-ips` when you trust the content being scanned. Malicious content could cause Kingfisher to make requests to internal services.
+
+---
+
 ## Understanding the Scan Summary
 
 After each scan, Kingfisher displays a summary with validation statistics:
diff --git a/src/cli/global.rs b/src/cli/global.rs
index c68e172..36d9237 100644
--- a/src/cli/global.rs
+++ b/src/cli/global.rs
@@ -119,6 +119,14 @@ pub struct GlobalArgs {
     #[arg(global = true, long, value_enum, default_value = "strict")]
     pub tls_mode: TlsMode,
 
+    /// Allow validation requests to internal/private IP addresses.
+    ///
+    /// By default, Kingfisher blocks HTTP requests to loopback, private,
+    /// and link-local addresses during credential validation to prevent SSRF.
+    /// Use this flag when scanning infrastructure that uses internal endpoints.
+    #[arg(global = true, long = "allow-internal-ips", default_value_t = false)]
+    pub allow_internal_ips: bool,
+
     /// Disable TLS certificate validation (deprecated: use --tls-mode=off)
     #[arg(global = true, long, hide = true)]
     pub ignore_certs: bool,
@@ -149,6 +157,7 @@ impl Default for GlobalArgs {
             verbose: 0,
             quiet: false,
             tls_mode: TlsMode::Strict,
+            allow_internal_ips: false,
             ignore_certs: false,
             self_update: false,
             no_update_check: false,
diff --git a/src/direct_validate.rs b/src/direct_validate.rs
index d957447..87caf06 100644
--- a/src/direct_validate.rs
+++ b/src/direct_validate.rs
@@ -727,7 +727,7 @@ pub async fn run_direct_validation(
 
             Validation::JWT => {
                 // JWT expects a JWT token as the secret
-                match validate_jwt(&secret, use_lax_tls).await {
+                match validate_jwt(&secret, use_lax_tls, global_args.allow_internal_ips).await {
                     Ok((is_valid, message)) => DirectValidationResult {
                         rule_id: String::new(),
                         rule_name: String::new(),
diff --git a/src/scanner/runner.rs b/src/scanner/runner.rs
index ffd8c3c..f21eefc 100644
--- a/src/scanner/runner.rs
+++ b/src/scanner/runner.rs
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ pub async fn run_async_scan(
         info!("Starting secret validation phase...");
         Some(Arc::new((
             register_all(liquid::ParserBuilder::with_stdlib()).build()?,
-            crate::validation::ValidationClients::new(global_args.tls_mode)?,
+            crate::validation::ValidationClients::new(global_args.tls_mode, global_args.allow_internal_ips)?,
             Arc::new(SkipMap::new()),
             validation_rate_limiter.clone(),
         )))
diff --git a/src/validation.rs b/src/validation.rs
index f2e805b..661c31b 100644
--- a/src/validation.rs
+++ b/src/validation.rs
@@ -118,19 +118,57 @@ pub struct ValidationClients {
     lax: Client,
     /// The global TLS mode from CLI arguments.
     pub global_mode: TlsMode,
+    /// When true, skip SSRF IP validation and allow requests to internal/private addresses.
+    pub allow_internal_ips: bool,
+}
+
+/// Build a redirect policy that blocks redirects to non-public IP addresses.
+fn ssrf_safe_redirect_policy() -> reqwest::redirect::Policy {
+    reqwest::redirect::Policy::custom(|attempt| {
+        if let Some(host) = attempt.url().host_str() {
+            // For IP-literal hosts, check directly without DNS.
+            if let Ok(ip) = host.parse::<std::net::IpAddr>() {
+                if !kingfisher_scanner::validation::is_ssrf_safe_ip(&ip) {
+                    return attempt.error(format!(
+                        "SSRF protection: redirect to non-public IP {} blocked",
+                        ip
+                    ));
+                }
+            }
+            // For hostnames, we cannot do async DNS in the sync redirect
+            // callback. The pre-request check_url_resolvable call validates
+            // DNS-resolved IPs before the initial request is made.
+        }
+        attempt.follow()
+    })
 }
 
 impl ValidationClients {
     /// Create validation clients based on the global TLS mode.
-    pub fn new(global_mode: TlsMode) -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
+    pub fn new(global_mode: TlsMode, allow_internal_ips: bool) -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
         let timeout = std::time::Duration::from_secs(30);
 
-        let strict =
-            Client::builder().danger_accept_invalid_certs(false).timeout(timeout).build()?;
+        let strict = Client::builder()
+            .danger_accept_invalid_certs(false)
+            .redirect(if allow_internal_ips {
+                reqwest::redirect::Policy::default()
+            } else {
+                ssrf_safe_redirect_policy()
+            })
+            .timeout(timeout)
+            .build()?;
 
-        let lax = Client::builder().danger_accept_invalid_certs(true).timeout(timeout).build()?;
+        let lax = Client::builder()
+            .danger_accept_invalid_certs(true)
+            .redirect(if allow_internal_ips {
+                reqwest::redirect::Policy::default()
+            } else {
+                ssrf_safe_redirect_policy()
+            })
+            .timeout(timeout)
+            .build()?;
 
-        Ok(Self { strict, lax, global_mode })
+        Ok(Self { strict, lax, global_mode, allow_internal_ips })
     }
 
     /// Get the appropriate client for a given rule's TLS mode.
@@ -288,6 +326,7 @@ async fn render_and_parse_url(
     globals: &liquid::Object,
     rule_name: &str,
     template_url: &str,
+    allow_internal_ips: bool,
 ) -> Result<Url, String> {
     let rendered_url_str =
         render_template(parser, globals, rule_name, template_url).await.map_err(|e| {
@@ -302,8 +341,8 @@ async fn render_and_parse_url(
         error_msg
     })?;
 
-    // Check if the URL is resolvable.
-    utils::check_url_resolvable(&url).await.map_err(|e| {
+    // Check if the URL is resolvable (with SSRF protection).
+    utils::check_url_resolvable(&url, allow_internal_ips).await.map_err(|e| {
         let error_msg = format!("URL <{}> resolution failed: {}", &url, e);
         error_msg
     })?;
@@ -534,6 +573,7 @@ async fn timed_validate_single_match<'a>(
                 &globals,
                 &rule_syntax.name,
                 &http_validation.request.url,
+                clients.allow_internal_ips,
             )
             .await
             {
@@ -792,6 +832,7 @@ async fn timed_validate_single_match<'a>(
                 &globals,
                 &rule_syntax.name,
                 &grpc_validation_cfg.request.url,
+                clients.allow_internal_ips,
             )
             .await
             {
@@ -1168,7 +1209,7 @@ async fn timed_validate_single_match<'a>(
                 return;
             }
 
-            match jwt::validate_jwt(&token, use_lax_tls).await {
+            match jwt::validate_jwt(&token, use_lax_tls, clients.allow_internal_ips).await {
                 Ok((ok, msg)) => {
                     m.validation_success = ok;
                     m.validation_response_body = validation_body::from_string(msg);
@@ -1494,19 +1535,19 @@ mod tests {
 
         #[test]
         fn validation_clients_new_creates_both_clients() {
-            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Strict).unwrap();
+            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Strict, false).unwrap();
             assert_eq!(clients.global_mode, TlsMode::Strict);
 
-            let clients_lax = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Lax).unwrap();
+            let clients_lax = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Lax, false).unwrap();
             assert_eq!(clients_lax.global_mode, TlsMode::Lax);
 
-            let clients_off = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Off).unwrap();
+            let clients_off = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Off, false).unwrap();
             assert_eq!(clients_off.global_mode, TlsMode::Off);
         }
 
         #[test]
         fn client_for_rule_strict_mode_always_returns_strict_client() {
-            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Strict).unwrap();
+            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Strict, false).unwrap();
 
             // With no rule TLS mode
             let client1 = clients.client_for_rule(None);
@@ -1522,7 +1563,7 @@ mod tests {
 
         #[test]
         fn client_for_rule_off_mode_always_returns_lax_client() {
-            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Off).unwrap();
+            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Off, false).unwrap();
 
             // With no rule TLS mode
             let client1 = clients.client_for_rule(None);
@@ -1538,7 +1579,7 @@ mod tests {
 
         #[test]
         fn client_for_rule_lax_mode_respects_rule_preference() {
-            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Lax).unwrap();
+            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Lax, false).unwrap();
 
             // Get references to understand which is which
             let strict_client = clients.client_for_rule(None);
@@ -1565,7 +1606,7 @@ mod tests {
 
         #[test]
         fn should_use_lax_off_mode_always_returns_true() {
-            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Off).unwrap();
+            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Off, false).unwrap();
 
             assert!(clients.should_use_lax(None));
             assert!(clients.should_use_lax(Some(kingfisher_rules::TlsMode::Strict)));
@@ -1574,7 +1615,7 @@ mod tests {
 
         #[test]
         fn should_use_lax_strict_mode_always_returns_false() {
-            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Strict).unwrap();
+            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Strict, false).unwrap();
 
             assert!(!clients.should_use_lax(None));
             assert!(!clients.should_use_lax(Some(kingfisher_rules::TlsMode::Strict)));
@@ -1583,7 +1624,7 @@ mod tests {
 
         #[test]
         fn should_use_lax_lax_mode_respects_rule_preference() {
-            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Lax).unwrap();
+            let clients = ValidationClients::new(TlsMode::Lax, false).unwrap();
 
             // Only true when rule explicitly opts in
             assert!(!clients.should_use_lax(None));
diff --git a/src/validation/utils.rs b/src/validation/utils.rs
index 1031436..2cf6157 100644
--- a/src/validation/utils.rs
+++ b/src/validation/utils.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ use tokio::net::lookup_host;
 
 use crate::validation::SerializableCaptures;
 
+// Re-export from the scanner crate so the rest of this module can use it.
+pub use kingfisher_scanner::validation::is_ssrf_safe_ip;
+
 /// Return (NAME, value, start, end) for the captures we care about.
 ///
 /// * Named captures keep their (upper-cased) name
@@ -106,11 +109,30 @@ pub fn find_closest_variable(
     best_before.or(best_overlap).or(best_after).map(|(_, value)| value)
 }
 
-pub async fn check_url_resolvable(url: &Url) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+pub async fn check_url_resolvable(
+    url: &Url,
+    allow_internal_ips: bool,
+) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
     let host = url.host_str().ok_or("No host in URL")?;
     let port = url.port().unwrap_or(if url.scheme() == "https" { 443 } else { 80 });
     let addr = format!("{}:{}", host, port);
-    lookup_host(addr).await?.next().ok_or_else(|| "Failed to resolve URL".into()).map(|_| ())
+    let mut resolved_any = false;
+    for socket_addr in lookup_host(&addr).await? {
+        resolved_any = true;
+        if !allow_internal_ips && !is_ssrf_safe_ip(&socket_addr.ip()) {
+            return Err(format!(
+                "SSRF protection: resolved IP {} for host '{}' is not a public address. \
+                 Use --allow-internal-ips to permit internal addresses.",
+                socket_addr.ip(),
+                host
+            )
+            .into());
+        }
+    }
+    if !resolved_any {
+        return Err("Failed to resolve URL".into());
+    }
+    Ok(())
 }
 
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -246,4 +268,53 @@ mod tests {
 
         assert_eq!(result, "after".to_string());
     }
+
+    // ---- SSRF IP validation tests ----
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ssrf_rejects_loopback() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&"127.0.0.1".parse().unwrap()));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&"::1".parse().unwrap()));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ssrf_rejects_unspecified() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&"0.0.0.0".parse().unwrap()));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&"::".parse().unwrap()));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ssrf_rejects_private_ranges() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&"10.0.0.1".parse().unwrap()));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&"172.16.0.1".parse().unwrap()));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&"192.168.1.1".parse().unwrap()));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ssrf_rejects_link_local_and_metadata() {
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&"169.254.169.254".parse().unwrap()));
+        assert!(!is_ssrf_safe_ip(&"169.254.1.1".parse().unwrap()));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ssrf_accepts_public_ips() {
+        assert!(is_ssrf_safe_ip(&"8.8.8.8".parse().unwrap()));
+        assert!(is_ssrf_safe_ip(&"1.1.1.1".parse().unwrap()));
+        assert!(is_ssrf_safe_ip(&"2606:4700::1111".parse().unwrap()));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn check_url_resolvable_blocks_localhost() {
+        let url = Url::parse("https://localhost/path").unwrap();
+        let result = check_url_resolvable(&url, false).await;
+        assert!(result.is_err());
+        assert!(result.unwrap_err().to_string().contains("SSRF protection"));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn check_url_resolvable_allows_localhost_when_opted_in() {
+        let url = Url::parse("https://localhost/path").unwrap();
+        let result = check_url_resolvable(&url, true).await;
+        assert!(result.is_ok());
+    }
 }
diff --git a/tests/int_allowlist.rs b/tests/int_allowlist.rs
index 96a8b6a..f40ce8e 100644
--- a/tests/int_allowlist.rs
+++ b/tests/int_allowlist.rs
@@ -197,6 +197,7 @@ fn run_skiplist(skip_regex: Vec<String>, skip_skipword: Vec<String>) -> Result<u
         ignore_certs: false,
         user_agent_suffix: None,
         tls_mode: TlsMode::Strict,
+        allow_internal_ips: false,
     };
 
     let loaded = RuleLoader::from_rule_specifiers(&scan_args.rules).load(&scan_args)?;
diff --git a/tests/int_bitbucket.rs b/tests/int_bitbucket.rs
index ea34d44..8fa00c0 100644
--- a/tests/int_bitbucket.rs
+++ b/tests/int_bitbucket.rs
@@ -182,6 +182,7 @@ fn test_bitbucket_remote_scan() -> Result<()> {
         ignore_certs: false,
         user_agent_suffix: None,
         tls_mode: TlsMode::Strict,
+        allow_internal_ips: false,
     };
 
     let datastore = Arc::new(Mutex::new(FindingsStore::new(clone_dir)));
diff --git a/tests/int_dedup.rs b/tests/int_dedup.rs
index b47a31b..48ef032 100644
--- a/tests/int_dedup.rs
+++ b/tests/int_dedup.rs
@@ -202,6 +202,7 @@ rules:
         ignore_certs: false,
         user_agent_suffix: None,
         tls_mode: TlsMode::Strict,
+        allow_internal_ips: false,
     };
 
     // ── load rules once ─────────────────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/tests/int_github.rs b/tests/int_github.rs
index e9ae3fa..90f7883 100644
--- a/tests/int_github.rs
+++ b/tests/int_github.rs
@@ -189,6 +189,7 @@ fn test_github_remote_scan() -> Result<()> {
         ignore_certs: false,
         user_agent_suffix: None,
         tls_mode: TlsMode::Strict,
+        allow_internal_ips: false,
     };
     // Create in-memory datastore
     let datastore = Arc::new(Mutex::new(FindingsStore::new(clone_dir)));
diff --git a/tests/int_gitlab.rs b/tests/int_gitlab.rs
index c9cbf12..19e3f46 100644
--- a/tests/int_gitlab.rs
+++ b/tests/int_gitlab.rs
@@ -187,6 +187,7 @@ fn test_gitlab_remote_scan() -> Result<()> {
         ignore_certs: false,
         user_agent_suffix: None,
         tls_mode: TlsMode::Strict,
+        allow_internal_ips: false,
     };
 
     let datastore = Arc::new(Mutex::new(FindingsStore::new(clone_dir)));
@@ -362,6 +363,7 @@ fn test_gitlab_remote_scan_no_history() -> Result<()> {
         ignore_certs: false,
         user_agent_suffix: None,
         tls_mode: TlsMode::Strict,
+        allow_internal_ips: false,
     };
 
     let datastore = Arc::new(Mutex::new(FindingsStore::new(clone_dir)));
diff --git a/tests/int_redact.rs b/tests/int_redact.rs
index a68ad2c..c69cb14 100644
--- a/tests/int_redact.rs
+++ b/tests/int_redact.rs
@@ -165,6 +165,7 @@ async fn test_redact_hashes_finding_values() -> Result<()> {
         ignore_certs: false,
         user_agent_suffix: None,
         tls_mode: TlsMode::Strict,
+        allow_internal_ips: false,
     };
 
     let loaded = RuleLoader::from_rule_specifiers(&scan_args.rules).load(&scan_args)?;
diff --git a/tests/int_slack.rs b/tests/int_slack.rs
index e162269..45eedd6 100644
--- a/tests/int_slack.rs
+++ b/tests/int_slack.rs
@@ -331,6 +331,7 @@ async fn test_scan_slack_messages() -> Result<()> {
         ignore_certs: false,
         user_agent_suffix: None,
         tls_mode: TlsMode::Strict,
+        allow_internal_ips: false,
     };
 
     let datastore = Arc::new(Mutex::new(FindingsStore::new(clone_dir)));
diff --git a/tests/int_teams.rs b/tests/int_teams.rs
index 3d78dfa..49a136c 100644
--- a/tests/int_teams.rs
+++ b/tests/int_teams.rs
@@ -205,6 +205,7 @@ async fn test_scan_teams_messages() -> Result<()> {
         ignore_certs: false,
         user_agent_suffix: None,
         tls_mode: TlsMode::Strict,
+        allow_internal_ips: false,
     };
 
     let loaded = RuleLoader::from_rule_specifiers(&scan_args.rules).load(&scan_args)?;
diff --git a/tests/int_validation_cache.rs b/tests/int_validation_cache.rs
index c91a348..5122bbf 100644
--- a/tests/int_validation_cache.rs
+++ b/tests/int_validation_cache.rs
@@ -263,6 +263,7 @@ async fn test_validation_cache_and_depvars() -> Result<()> {
         ignore_certs: false,
         user_agent_suffix: None,
         tls_mode: TlsMode::Strict,
+        allow_internal_ips: false,
     };
     let update_status = UpdateStatus::default();
 
diff --git a/tests/int_vulnerable_files.rs b/tests/int_vulnerable_files.rs
index e81d8b6..72ca410 100644
--- a/tests/int_vulnerable_files.rs
+++ b/tests/int_vulnerable_files.rs
@@ -336,6 +336,7 @@ impl TestContext {
             ignore_certs: false,
             user_agent_suffix: None,
             tls_mode: TlsMode::Strict,
+            allow_internal_ips: false,
         };
 
         let datastore = Arc::new(Mutex::new(FindingsStore::new(clone_dir)));