diff --git a/backend/src/services/scraper.rs b/backend/src/services/scraper.rs
index d485317..41716de 100644
--- a/backend/src/services/scraper.rs
+++ b/backend/src/services/scraper.rs
@@ -52,14 +52,52 @@ pub struct ScrapedContent {
 
 /// Build a `reqwest::Client` configured for scraping.
 ///
-/// Sets appropriate timeouts, redirect limits, and User-Agent.
-/// This client should be stored in `AppState` and reused across requests.
+/// Uses a custom redirect policy that validates each hop against private/internal
+/// IP addresses (SSRF prevention). DNS is resolved synchronously in the redirect
+/// handler via `std::net::ToSocketAddrs`. Max 3 redirects, only http/https schemes.
+///
+/// **Residual risk**: There is a theoretical TOCTOU gap between the DNS check in
+/// the redirect policy and reqwest's actual TCP connection. DNS rebinding could
+/// bypass the check. This is accepted as a known limitation.
 pub fn build_scraper_client() -> Result<reqwest::Client, AppError> {
+    use std::net::ToSocketAddrs;
+
+    let redirect_policy = reqwest::redirect::Policy::custom(|attempt| {
+        if attempt.previous().len() >= 3 {
+            return attempt.error("Too many redirects");
+        }
+
+        let url = attempt.url();
+
+        if url.scheme() != "http" && url.scheme() != "https" {
+            return attempt.error("Blocked redirect to non-HTTP scheme");
+        }
+
+        if let Some(host) = url.host_str() {
+            let port = url.port().unwrap_or(if url.scheme() == "https" { 443 } else { 80 });
+            let addr_str = format!("{}:{}", host, port);
+            match addr_str.to_socket_addrs() {
+                Ok(addrs) => {
+                    for addr in addrs {
+                        if is_private_ip(addr.ip()) {
+                            return attempt.error("Blocked redirect to private/internal IP");
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+                Err(_) => {
+                    return attempt.error("DNS resolution failed for redirect target");
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        attempt.follow()
+    });
+
     reqwest::Client::builder()
         .user_agent(USER_AGENT)
         .connect_timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(5))
         .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(15))
-        .redirect(reqwest::redirect::Policy::limited(3))
+        .redirect(redirect_policy)
         .build()
         .map_err(|e| AppError::Internal(anyhow::anyhow!("Failed to build scraper client: {}", e)))
 }