diff --git a/webapp/config/web.xml b/webapp/config/web.xml
index 4d07084fc..8046cce14 100644
--- a/webapp/config/web.xml
+++ b/webapp/config/web.xml
@@ -185,6 +185,15 @@
   <!-- in 2.4 spec, filter chain order is first by filter-mapping <url-pattern> order in web.xml,
 	 then filter-mapping <servlet-name> order in web.xml -->
 
+  <filter>
+    <filter-name>Session Timeout Limiting Filter</filter-name>
+    <filter-class>edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.filters.SessionTimeoutLimitingFilter</filter-class>
+  </filter>
+  <filter-mapping>
+    <filter-name>Session Timeout Limiting Filter</filter-name>
+    <url-pattern>/*</url-pattern>
+  </filter-mapping>
+
   <filter>
     <filter-name>Character Set Encoding Filter</filter-name>
     <filter-class>edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.filters.CharsetEncodingFilter</filter-class>
@@ -193,6 +202,7 @@
     <filter-name>Character Set Encoding Filter</filter-name>
     <url-pattern>/*</url-pattern>
   </filter-mapping>
+
   <filter>
     <filter-name>JSession Strip Filter</filter-name>
     <filter-class>edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.filters.JSessionStripFilter</filter-class>
@@ -210,6 +220,7 @@
     <filter-name>URL Rewriter Filter</filter-name>
     <url-pattern>/*</url-pattern>
   </filter-mapping>
+
   <filter>
     <filter-name>Portal Picker Filter</filter-name>
     <filter-class>edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.filters.PortalPickerFilter</filter-class>
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/Authenticate.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/Authenticate.java
index 5468d51a5..db83a30d2 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/Authenticate.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/Authenticate.java
@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@ import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.dao.jena.LoginEvent;
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.dao.jena.LoginLogoutEvent;
 
 public class Authenticate extends FreemarkerHttpServlet {
+	/** Maximum inactive interval for a ordinary logged in user session, in seconds. */
+	public static final int LOGGED_IN_TIMEOUT_INTERVAL = 300;
+	
+	/** Maximum inactive interval for a editor (or better) session, in seconds. */
+	public static final int PRIVILEGED_TIMEOUT_INTERVAL = 32000;
+
 	private static final Log log = LogFactory.getLog(Authenticate.class
 			.getName());
 
@@ -301,10 +307,10 @@ public class Authenticate extends FreemarkerHttpServlet {
 		getUserDao(request).updateUser(user);
 
 		// Set the timeout limit on the session - editors, etc, get more.
-		session.setMaxInactiveInterval(300); // seconds, not milliseconds
+		session.setMaxInactiveInterval(LOGGED_IN_TIMEOUT_INTERVAL); // seconds, not milliseconds
 		try {
 			if ((int) Integer.decode(lfb.getLoginRole()) > 1) {
-				session.setMaxInactiveInterval(32000);
+				session.setMaxInactiveInterval(PRIVILEGED_TIMEOUT_INTERVAL);
 			}
 		} catch (NumberFormatException e) {
 			// No problem - leave it at the default.
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/filters/SessionTimeoutLimitingFilter.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/filters/SessionTimeoutLimitingFilter.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..54ac0d730
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/filters/SessionTimeoutLimitingFilter.java
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+/* $This file is distributed under the terms of the license in /doc/license.txt$ */
+
+package edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.filters;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+
+import javax.servlet.Filter;
+import javax.servlet.FilterChain;
+import javax.servlet.FilterConfig;
+import javax.servlet.ServletException;
+import javax.servlet.ServletRequest;
+import javax.servlet.ServletResponse;
+import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
+import javax.servlet.http.HttpSession;
+
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vedit.beans.LoginFormBean;
+
+/**
+ * Manipulate the maximum inactive interval on sessions.
+ * <ul>
+ * <li>Logged in sessions and self-editing sessions already have the correct
+ * interval set.</li>
+ * <li>Other sessions are trivial, and should have a short interval.</li>
+ * </ul>
+ */
+public class SessionTimeoutLimitingFilter implements Filter {
+	/** Maximum inactive interval for a trivial session object, in seconds. */
+	private static final int TRIVIAL_SESSION_LIFETIME = 120;
+
+	public void init(FilterConfig filterConfig) throws ServletException {
+	}
+
+	public void doFilter(ServletRequest servletRequest,
+			ServletResponse servletResponse, FilterChain filterChain)
+			throws IOException, ServletException {
+		filterChain.doFilter(servletRequest, servletResponse);
+
+		limitTrivialSession(servletRequest);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * If this request has a trivial session object -- that is, the user is not
+	 * logged in and not self-editing -- then give it a short expiration
+	 * interval.
+	 */
+	private void limitTrivialSession(ServletRequest servletRequest) {
+		if (!(servletRequest instanceof HttpServletRequest)) {
+			return;
+		}
+		HttpServletRequest request = (HttpServletRequest) servletRequest;
+
+		// If no session object, nothing to do.
+		HttpSession session = request.getSession(false);
+		if (session == null) {
+			return;
+		}
+
+		// If logged in, leave it alone.
+		Object loginBean = session.getAttribute("loginHandler");
+		if (loginBean instanceof LoginFormBean) {
+			return;
+		}
+
+		// If self-editing, leave it alone.
+		if (VitroRequestPrep.isSelfEditing(request)) {
+			return;
+		}
+
+		// Otherwise, it's trivial, so shorten its life-span.
+		session.setMaxInactiveInterval(TRIVIAL_SESSION_LIFETIME);
+	}
+
+	public void destroy() {
+	}
+}
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/filters/VitroRequestPrep.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/filters/VitroRequestPrep.java
index f5767dcd3..bc5df20dd 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/filters/VitroRequestPrep.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/filters/VitroRequestPrep.java
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import javax.servlet.Filter;
 import javax.servlet.FilterChain;
 import javax.servlet.FilterConfig;
 import javax.servlet.ServletContext;
-import javax.servlet.ServletContextListener;
 import javax.servlet.ServletException;
 import javax.servlet.ServletRequest;
 import javax.servlet.ServletResponse;
@@ -22,9 +21,10 @@ import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.beans.ApplicationBean;
-import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.beans.Portal;
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.beans.BaseResourceBean.RoleLevel;
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.beans.Portal;
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.VitroRequest;
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.controller.edit.Authenticate;
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.dao.PortalDao;
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.dao.WebappDaoFactory;
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.dao.filtering.WebappDaoFactoryFiltering;
@@ -402,6 +402,7 @@ public class VitroRequestPrep implements Filter {
 
     public static void forceToSelfEditing(HttpServletRequest request){
         HttpSession sess = request.getSession(true);
+        sess.setMaxInactiveInterval(Authenticate.LOGGED_IN_TIMEOUT_INTERVAL);
         sess.setAttribute("inSelfEditing","true");
     }
     public static void forceOutOfSelfEditing(HttpServletRequest request){