diff --git a/api/CHANGELOG.md b/api/CHANGELOG.md
index 321534c8f5..ec5d8b97ab 100644
--- a/api/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/api/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,14 @@
 
 All notable changes to the **Prowler API** are documented in this file.
 
+## [1.32.1] (Prowler UNRELEASED)
+
+### 🐞 Fixed
+
+- API key auth no longer mutates `TenantAPIKey.objects` during admin DB lookups [(#11686)](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/pull/11686)
+
+---
+
 ## [1.32.0] (Prowler v5.31.0)
 
 ### 🚀 Added
diff --git a/api/src/backend/api/authentication.py b/api/src/backend/api/authentication.py
index 1e9eee46ff..755bd64e39 100644
--- a/api/src/backend/api/authentication.py
+++ b/api/src/backend/api/authentication.py
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
+from math import isfinite
 from uuid import UUID
 
 from api.db_router import MainRouter
 from api.models import TenantAPIKey, TenantAPIKeyManager
 from cryptography.fernet import InvalidToken
+from django.core.exceptions import ObjectDoesNotExist
 from django.utils import timezone
 from drf_simple_apikey.backends import APIKeyAuthentication as BaseAPIKeyAuth
 from drf_simple_apikey.crypto import get_crypto
+from drf_simple_apikey.settings import package_settings
 from rest_framework.authentication import BaseAuthentication
 from rest_framework.exceptions import AuthenticationFailed
 from rest_framework.request import Request
@@ -21,18 +24,49 @@ class TenantAPIKeyAuthentication(BaseAPIKeyAuth):
     def _authenticate_credentials(self, request, key):
         """
         Override to use admin connection, bypassing RLS during authentication.
-        Delegates to parent after temporarily routing model queries to admin DB.
         """
-        # Temporarily point the model's manager to admin database
-        original_objects = self.model.objects
-        self.model.objects = self.model.objects.using(MainRouter.admin_db)
+        try:
+            payload = self.key_crypto.decrypt(key)
+        except ValueError:
+            raise AuthenticationFailed("Invalid API Key.")
+
+        if not isinstance(payload, dict):
+            raise AuthenticationFailed("Invalid API Key.")
+
+        payload_pk = payload.get("_pk")
+        payload_exp = payload.get("_exp")
+        if (
+            not isinstance(payload_pk, str)
+            or isinstance(payload_exp, bool)
+            or not isinstance(payload_exp, (int, float))
+            or not isfinite(payload_exp)
+        ):
+            raise AuthenticationFailed("Invalid API Key.")
 
         try:
-            # Call parent method which will now use admin database
-            return super()._authenticate_credentials(request, key)
-        finally:
-            # Restore original manager
-            self.model.objects = original_objects
+            api_key_pk = UUID(payload_pk)
+        except ValueError:
+            raise AuthenticationFailed("Invalid API Key.")
+
+        if payload_exp < timezone.now().timestamp():
+            raise AuthenticationFailed("API Key has already expired.")
+
+        try:
+            api_key = self.model.objects.using(MainRouter.admin_db).get(id=api_key_pk)
+        except ObjectDoesNotExist:
+            raise AuthenticationFailed("No entity matching this api key.")
+
+        if api_key.revoked:
+            raise AuthenticationFailed("This API Key has been revoked.")
+
+        client_ip = request.META.get(package_settings.IP_ADDRESS_HEADER)
+        if api_key.blacklisted_ips and client_ip in api_key.blacklisted_ips:
+            raise AuthenticationFailed("Access denied from blacklisted IP.")
+
+        if api_key.whitelisted_ips and client_ip not in api_key.whitelisted_ips:
+            raise AuthenticationFailed("Access restricted to specific IP addresses.")
+
+        return api_key.entity, key
 
     def authenticate(self, request: Request):
         prefixed_key = self.get_key(request)
diff --git a/api/src/backend/api/tests/test_authentication.py b/api/src/backend/api/tests/test_authentication.py
index fa72b395b3..d05a55ce5a 100644
--- a/api/src/backend/api/tests/test_authentication.py
+++ b/api/src/backend/api/tests/test_authentication.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import pytest
 from api.authentication import SSEAuthentication, TenantAPIKeyAuthentication
 from api.db_router import MainRouter
 from api.models import TenantAPIKey
+from django.db.models.query import QuerySet
 from django.test import RequestFactory
 from rest_framework.exceptions import AuthenticationFailed
 
@@ -64,6 +65,54 @@ class TestTenantAPIKeyAuthentication:
         # Verify the manager was restored
         assert TenantAPIKey.objects == original_manager
 
+    def test_authenticate_credentials_keeps_manager_during_lookup(
+        self, auth_backend, api_keys_fixture, request_factory
+    ):
+        """Authentication must not expose a QuerySet as the model manager."""
+        api_key = api_keys_fixture[0]
+        raw_key = api_key._raw_key
+        _, encrypted_key = raw_key.split(TenantAPIKey.objects.separator, 1)
+
+        original_get = QuerySet.get
+        manager_has_create_api_key = []
+
+        def observe_manager(queryset, *args, **kwargs):
+            manager_has_create_api_key.append(
+                hasattr(TenantAPIKey.objects, "create_api_key")
+            )
+            return original_get(queryset, *args, **kwargs)
+
+        request = request_factory.get("/")
+
+        with patch.object(QuerySet, "get", observe_manager):
+            auth_backend._authenticate_credentials(request, encrypted_key)
+
+        assert manager_has_create_api_key
+        assert all(manager_has_create_api_key)
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+        "payload",
+        [
+            {"_pk": str(uuid4()), "_exp": "not-a-timestamp"},
+            {
+                "_pk": "not-a-uuid",
+                "_exp": (datetime.now(UTC) + timedelta(days=1)).timestamp(),
+            },
+            {"_pk": str(uuid4()), "_exp": True},
+        ],
+    )
+    def test_authenticate_credentials_rejects_malformed_payloads(
+        self, auth_backend, request_factory, payload
+    ):
+        """Malformed decrypted payloads fail as authentication errors."""
+        request = request_factory.get("/")
+        encrypted_key = auth_backend.key_crypto.generate(payload)
+
+        with pytest.raises(AuthenticationFailed) as exc_info:
+            auth_backend._authenticate_credentials(request, encrypted_key)
+
+        assert str(exc_info.value.detail) == "Invalid API Key."
+
     def test_authenticate_credentials_restores_manager_on_exception(
         self, auth_backend, request_factory
     ):