diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 508f29c6a..7a4fd624a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ and this project adheres to
 - 🐛(backend) ignore CSPs for API docs in development
 - 🐛(frontend) export images embedded with a relative url #2573
 
+### Security
+
+- 🔒️(yprovider) readOnly connections awareness propagation #2544
+
 ### Changed
 
 - ♿️(frontend) use semantic `<dl>` structure in document info card #2379
diff --git a/src/frontend/servers/y-provider/__tests__/hocuspocusWS.test.ts b/src/frontend/servers/y-provider/__tests__/hocuspocusWS.test.ts
index 16d6c929d..8d5c59cb6 100644
--- a/src/frontend/servers/y-provider/__tests__/hocuspocusWS.test.ts
+++ b/src/frontend/servers/y-provider/__tests__/hocuspocusWS.test.ts
@@ -337,6 +337,167 @@ describe('Server Tests', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  test('Read-only connection cannot propagate document updates or awareness', () => {
+    const { promise, done } = promiseDone();
+
+    vi.spyOn(CollaborationBackend, 'fetchDocument').mockResolvedValue({
+      abilities: { retrieve: true, update: false },
+    } as any);
+
+    const room = uuidv4();
+    const wsHocus = new HocuspocusProviderWebsocket({
+      url: `ws://localhost:${portWS}/?room=${room}`,
+      WebSocketPolyfill: WebSocket,
+    });
+
+    const provider = new HocuspocusProvider({
+      websocketProvider: wsHocus,
+      name: room,
+      onSynced: () => {
+        // Attempt a document change.
+        provider.document.getText('test').insert(0, 'hacked');
+
+        // Attempt an awareness broadcast (e.g. cursor/selection presence).
+        provider.awareness?.setLocalStateField('user', {
+          name: 'Reader',
+          color: '#22aa44',
+        });
+
+        setTimeout(() => {
+          // The connection itself must not be cut.
+          expect(wsHocus.webSocket?.readyState).toBe(WebSocket.OPEN);
+
+          const document = hocuspocusServer.hocuspocus.documents.get(room);
+
+          // The document update must never reach the shared document.
+          expect(document?.getText('test').toString()).toBe('');
+
+          // The awareness update must never reach the shared document either.
+          const clientId = provider.awareness?.clientID as number;
+          expect(document?.awareness.getStates().has(clientId)).toBe(false);
+
+          provider.destroy();
+          wsHocus.destroy();
+
+          done();
+        }, 200);
+      },
+    });
+
+    provider.attach();
+
+    return promise;
+  });
+
+  test("Read-only connection catches up on another client's unsaved changes via sync", () => {
+    const { promise, done } = promiseDone();
+
+    const room = uuidv4();
+
+    vi.spyOn(CollaborationBackend, 'fetchDocument').mockResolvedValue({
+      abilities: { retrieve: true, update: true },
+    } as any);
+
+    const editorWs = new HocuspocusProviderWebsocket({
+      url: `ws://localhost:${portWS}/?room=${room}`,
+      WebSocketPolyfill: WebSocket,
+    });
+
+    const editorProvider = new HocuspocusProvider({
+      websocketProvider: editorWs,
+      name: room,
+      onSynced: () => {
+        // The change only lives in the server's in-memory Y.Doc at this
+        // point - nothing persists/reloads it from a database in this test.
+        editorProvider.document.getText('test').insert(0, 'unsaved-content');
+
+        setTimeout(() => {
+          vi.spyOn(CollaborationBackend, 'fetchDocument').mockResolvedValue({
+            abilities: { retrieve: true, update: false },
+          } as any);
+
+          const readerWs = new HocuspocusProviderWebsocket({
+            url: `ws://localhost:${portWS}/?room=${room}`,
+            WebSocketPolyfill: WebSocket,
+          });
+
+          const readerProvider = new HocuspocusProvider({
+            websocketProvider: readerWs,
+            name: room,
+            onSynced: () => {
+              // The reader must catch up via its own SyncStep1, not just
+              // whatever it happened to have locally beforehand.
+              expect(readerProvider.document.getText('test').toString()).toBe(
+                'unsaved-content',
+              );
+
+              editorProvider.destroy();
+              editorWs.destroy();
+              readerProvider.destroy();
+              readerWs.destroy();
+
+              done();
+            },
+          });
+
+          readerProvider.attach();
+        }, 200);
+      },
+    });
+
+    editorProvider.attach();
+
+    return promise;
+  });
+
+  test('Editable connection propagates document updates and awareness', () => {
+    const { promise, done } = promiseDone();
+
+    vi.spyOn(CollaborationBackend, 'fetchDocument').mockResolvedValue({
+      abilities: { retrieve: true, update: true },
+    } as any);
+
+    const room = uuidv4();
+    const wsHocus = new HocuspocusProviderWebsocket({
+      url: `ws://localhost:${portWS}/?room=${room}`,
+      WebSocketPolyfill: WebSocket,
+    });
+
+    const provider = new HocuspocusProvider({
+      websocketProvider: wsHocus,
+      name: room,
+      onSynced: () => {
+        provider.document.getText('test').insert(0, 'hello');
+
+        provider.awareness?.setLocalStateField('user', {
+          name: 'Editor',
+          color: '#22aa44',
+        });
+
+        setTimeout(() => {
+          expect(wsHocus.webSocket?.readyState).toBe(WebSocket.OPEN);
+
+          const document = hocuspocusServer.hocuspocus.documents.get(room);
+
+          expect(document?.getText('test').toString()).toBe('hello');
+
+          const clientId = provider.awareness?.clientID as number;
+          const clientState = document?.awareness.getStates().get(clientId);
+          expect(clientState?.user?.color).toBe('#22aa44');
+
+          provider.destroy();
+          wsHocus.destroy();
+
+          done();
+        }, 200);
+      },
+    });
+
+    provider.attach();
+
+    return promise;
+  });
+
   test('Add request header x-user-id if found', () => {
     const { promise, done } = promiseDone();
 
diff --git a/src/frontend/servers/y-provider/src/servers/hocuspocusServer.ts b/src/frontend/servers/y-provider/src/servers/hocuspocusServer.ts
index d60ec1947..8070ec85b 100644
--- a/src/frontend/servers/y-provider/src/servers/hocuspocusServer.ts
+++ b/src/frontend/servers/y-provider/src/servers/hocuspocusServer.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,39 @@
-import { Server } from '@hocuspocus/server';
+import {
+  Connection,
+  Document,
+  MessageReceiver,
+  MessageType,
+  Server,
+} from '@hocuspocus/server';
 import { validate as uuidValidate, version as uuidVersion } from 'uuid';
 
 import { fetchCurrentUser, fetchDocument } from '@/api/collaborationBackend';
 import { logger } from '@/utils';
 
+/**
+ * Override the default apply method of MessageReceiver to prevent applying
+ * awareness updates from read-only connections.
+ */
+const originalApply = MessageReceiver.prototype.apply;
+MessageReceiver.prototype.apply = function (
+  this: MessageReceiver,
+  document: Document,
+  connection?: Connection,
+  reply?: (message: Uint8Array) => void,
+) {
+  if (connection?.readOnly) {
+    const startPos = this.message.decoder.pos;
+    const type = this.message.readVarUint();
+    this.message.decoder.pos = startPos;
+
+    if (type === MessageType.Awareness) {
+      return type;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return originalApply.call(this, document, connection, reply);
+};
+
 export const hocuspocusServer = new Server({
   name: 'docs-collaboration',
   timeout: 30000,