diff --git a/ee/packages/federation-matrix/src/api/_matrix/media.ts b/ee/packages/federation-matrix/src/api/_matrix/media.ts
index c6f3b8a4f0d0c..7ab093f9034a8 100644
--- a/ee/packages/federation-matrix/src/api/_matrix/media.ts
+++ b/ee/packages/federation-matrix/src/api/_matrix/media.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { Logger } from '@rocket.chat/logger';
 import { ajv } from '@rocket.chat/rest-typings/dist/v1/Ajv';
 
 import { MatrixMediaService } from '../../services/MatrixMediaService';
+import { canAccessMedia } from '../middlewares';
 
 const logger = new Logger('federation-matrix:media');
 
@@ -76,7 +77,7 @@ async function getMediaFile(mediaId: string, serverName: string): Promise<{ file
 }
 
 export const getMatrixMediaRoutes = (homeserverServices: HomeserverServices) => {
-	const { config } = homeserverServices;
+	const { config, federationAuth } = homeserverServices;
 	const router = new Router('/federation');
 
 	router.get(
@@ -86,12 +87,14 @@ export const getMatrixMediaRoutes = (homeserverServices: HomeserverServices) =>
 			response: {
 				200: isBufferResponseProps,
 				401: isErrorResponseProps,
+				403: isErrorResponseProps,
 				404: isErrorResponseProps,
 				429: isErrorResponseProps,
 				500: isErrorResponseProps,
 			},
 			tags: ['Federation', 'Media'],
 		},
+		canAccessMedia(federationAuth),
 		async (c) => {
 			try {
 				const { mediaId } = c.req.param();
@@ -122,7 +125,6 @@ export const getMatrixMediaRoutes = (homeserverServices: HomeserverServices) =>
 					body: multipartResponse.body,
 				};
 			} catch (error) {
-				logger.error('Federation media download error:', error);
 				return {
 					statusCode: 500,
 					body: { errcode: 'M_UNKNOWN', error: 'Internal server error' },
@@ -138,10 +140,12 @@ export const getMatrixMediaRoutes = (homeserverServices: HomeserverServices) =>
 			response: {
 				200: isBufferResponseProps,
 				401: isErrorResponseProps,
+				403: isErrorResponseProps,
 				404: isErrorResponseProps,
 			},
 			tags: ['Federation', 'Media'],
 		},
+		canAccessMedia(federationAuth),
 		async (context: any) => {
 			try {
 				const { mediaId } = context.req.param();
diff --git a/ee/packages/federation-matrix/src/api/middlewares.ts b/ee/packages/federation-matrix/src/api/middlewares.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..8e1b0701c86f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ee/packages/federation-matrix/src/api/middlewares.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+import type { EventAuthorizationService } from '@hs/federation-sdk';
+import type { Context, Next } from 'hono';
+import type { ContentfulStatusCode } from 'hono/utils/http-status';
+
+const errCodes: Record<string, { errcode: string; error: string; status: ContentfulStatusCode }> = {
+	M_UNAUTHORIZED: {
+		errcode: 'M_UNAUTHORIZED',
+		error: 'Invalid or missing signature',
+		status: 401,
+	},
+	M_FORBIDDEN: {
+		errcode: 'M_FORBIDDEN',
+		error: 'Access denied',
+		status: 403,
+	},
+	M_UNKNOWN: {
+		errcode: 'M_UNKNOWN',
+		error: 'Internal server error while processing request',
+		status: 500,
+	},
+};
+
+export const canAccessMedia = (federationAuth: EventAuthorizationService) => {
+	return async (c: Context, next: Next) => {
+		const mediaId = c.req.param('mediaId');
+		const authHeader = c.req.header('Authorization') || '';
+		const { method } = c.req;
+		const { path } = c.req;
+		const query = c.req.query();
+
+		let uriForSignature = path;
+		const queryString = new URLSearchParams(query).toString();
+		if (queryString) {
+			uriForSignature = `${path}?${queryString}`;
+		}
+
+		try {
+			const body = method === 'GET' ? undefined : await c.req.json();
+
+			const verificationResult = await federationAuth.canAccessMediaFromAuthorizationHeader(
+				mediaId,
+				authHeader,
+				method,
+				uriForSignature, // use URI with query params for signature verification
+				body,
+			);
+
+			if (!verificationResult.authorized) {
+				const errorResponse = errCodes[verificationResult.errorCode];
+				return c.json(
+					{
+						errcode: errorResponse.errcode,
+						error: errorResponse.error,
+					},
+					errorResponse.status,
+				);
+			}
+
+			return next();
+		} catch (error) {
+			return c.json(errCodes.M_UNKNOWN, 500);
+		}
+	};
+};
diff --git a/ee/packages/federation-matrix/src/services/MatrixMediaService.ts b/ee/packages/federation-matrix/src/services/MatrixMediaService.ts
index c218885dbaaf7..e25a4a97377f3 100644
--- a/ee/packages/federation-matrix/src/services/MatrixMediaService.ts
+++ b/ee/packages/federation-matrix/src/services/MatrixMediaService.ts
@@ -112,6 +112,9 @@ export class MatrixMediaService {
 			}
 
 			const buffer = await this.homeserverServices.media.downloadFromRemoteServer(parts.serverName, parts.mediaId);
+			if (!buffer) {
+				throw new Error('Download from remote server returned null content.');
+			}
 
 			const uploadedFile = await Upload.uploadFile({
 				userId: metadata.userId || 'federation',