diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/Editors/UsersController.cs b/src/Umbraco.Web/Editors/UsersController.cs
index 8b618afde5..469a29da0f 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web/Editors/UsersController.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/Editors/UsersController.cs
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.Editors
 
         [AppendUserModifiedHeader("id")]
         [FileUploadCleanupFilter(false)]
+        [AdminUsersAuthorize]
         public async Task<HttpResponseMessage> PostSetAvatar(int id)
         {
             return await PostSetAvatarInternal(Request, Services.UserService, AppCaches.RuntimeCache, id);
@@ -128,6 +129,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.Editors
         }
 
         [AppendUserModifiedHeader("id")]
+        [AdminUsersAuthorize]
         public HttpResponseMessage PostClearAvatar(int id)
         {
             var found = Services.UserService.GetUserById(id);
@@ -166,6 +168,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.Editors
         /// <param name="id"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
         [OutgoingEditorModelEvent]
+        [AdminUsersAuthorize]
         public UserDisplay GetById(int id)
         {
             var user = Services.UserService.GetUserById(id);
@@ -591,6 +594,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.Editors
         /// Disables the users with the given user ids
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="userIds"></param>
+        [AdminUsersAuthorize("userIds")]
         public HttpResponseMessage PostDisableUsers([FromUri]int[] userIds)
         {
             var tryGetCurrentUserId = Security.GetUserId();
@@ -622,6 +626,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.Editors
         /// Enables the users with the given user ids
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="userIds"></param>
+        [AdminUsersAuthorize("userIds")]
         public HttpResponseMessage PostEnableUsers([FromUri]int[] userIds)
         {
             var users = Services.UserService.GetUsersById(userIds).ToArray();
@@ -645,6 +650,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.Editors
         /// Unlocks the users with the given user ids
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="userIds"></param>
+        [AdminUsersAuthorize("userIds")]
         public async Task<HttpResponseMessage> PostUnlockUsers([FromUri]int[] userIds)
         {
             if (userIds.Length <= 0)
@@ -677,6 +683,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.Editors
                 Services.TextService.Localize("speechBubbles/unlockUsersSuccess", new[] { userIds.Length.ToString() }));
         }
 
+        [AdminUsersAuthorize("userIds")]
         public HttpResponseMessage PostSetUserGroupsOnUsers([FromUri]string[] userGroupAliases, [FromUri]int[] userIds)
         {
             var users = Services.UserService.GetUsersById(userIds).ToArray();
@@ -702,7 +709,8 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.Editors
         /// Limited to users that haven't logged in to avoid issues with related records constrained
         /// with a foreign key on the user Id
         /// </remarks>
-        public async Task<HttpResponseMessage> PostDeleteNonLoggedInUser(int id)
+        [AdminUsersAuthorize]
+        public HttpResponseMessage PostDeleteNonLoggedInUser(int id)
         {
             var user = Services.UserService.GetUserById(id);
             if (user == null)
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/Umbraco.Web.csproj b/src/Umbraco.Web/Umbraco.Web.csproj
index c6cbc7cbaa..aea5d9376a 100755
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web/Umbraco.Web.csproj
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/Umbraco.Web.csproj
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@
     <Compile Include="Models\TemplateQuery\OperatorFactory.cs" />
     <Compile Include="UmbracoContextFactory.cs" />
     <Compile Include="UmbracoContextReference.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="WebApi\Filters\AdminUsersAuthorizeAttribute.cs" />
     <Compile Include="WebApi\Filters\OnlyLocalRequestsAttribute.cs" />
     <Compile Include="PropertyEditors\MultiUrlPickerConfiguration.cs" />
     <Compile Include="PropertyEditors\MultiUrlPickerConfigurationEditor.cs" />
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/WebApi/Filters/AdminUsersAuthorizeAttribute.cs b/src/Umbraco.Web/WebApi/Filters/AdminUsersAuthorizeAttribute.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e9cb1d8c6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/WebApi/Filters/AdminUsersAuthorizeAttribute.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+using System.Linq;
+using System.Net;
+using System.Net.Http;
+using System.Web.Http;
+using System.Web.Http.Controllers;
+using Umbraco.Core;
+using Umbraco.Web.Editors;
+
+namespace Umbraco.Web.WebApi.Filters
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// if the users being edited is an admin then we must ensure that the current user is also an admin
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <remarks>
+    /// This will authorize against one or multiple ids
+    /// </remarks>
+    public sealed class AdminUsersAuthorizeAttribute : AuthorizeAttribute
+    {
+        private readonly string _parameterName;
+
+        public AdminUsersAuthorizeAttribute(string parameterName)
+        {
+            _parameterName = parameterName;
+        }
+
+        public AdminUsersAuthorizeAttribute() : this("id")
+        {            
+        }
+
+        protected override bool IsAuthorized(HttpActionContext actionContext)
+        {
+            int[] userIds;
+            if (actionContext.ActionArguments.TryGetValue(_parameterName, out var userId))
+            {
+                var intUserId = userId.TryConvertTo<int>();
+                if (intUserId)
+                    userIds = new[] {intUserId.Result};
+                else return base.IsAuthorized(actionContext);
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                var queryString = actionContext.Request.GetQueryNameValuePairs();
+                var ids = queryString.Where(x => x.Key == _parameterName).ToArray();
+                if (ids.Length == 0)
+                    return base.IsAuthorized(actionContext);
+                userIds = ids.Select(x => x.Value.TryConvertTo<int>()).Where(x => x.Success).Select(x => x.Result).ToArray();
+            }
+
+            if (userIds.Length == 0) return base.IsAuthorized(actionContext);
+
+            var users = ApplicationContext.Current.Services.UserService.GetUsersById(userIds);
+            var authHelper = new UserEditorAuthorizationHelper(ApplicationContext.Current.Services.ContentService, ApplicationContext.Current.Services.MediaService, ApplicationContext.Current.Services.UserService, ApplicationContext.Current.Services.EntityService);
+            return users.All(user => authHelper.IsAuthorized(UmbracoContext.Current.Security.CurrentUser, user, null, null, null) != false);
+        }
+    }
+}