Mike Jones: self-issued

Musings on Digital Identity

Category: OAuth Page 4 of 11

Authentication Method Reference Values is now RFC 8176

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On June 16, 2017

In Claims, JSON, OAuth, OpenID, Specifications

IETF logoThe Authentication Method Reference Values specification is now RFC 8176. The abstract describes the specification as:

The amr (Authentication Methods References) claim is defined and registered in the IANA “JSON Web Token Claims” registry, but no standard Authentication Method Reference values are currently defined. This specification establishes a registry for Authentication Method Reference values and defines an initial set of Authentication Method Reference values.

The specification defines and registers some Authentication Method Reference values such as the following, which are already in use by some Google and Microsoft products and OpenID specifications:

  • “face” — Facial recognition
  • “fpt” — Fingerprint
  • “hwk” — Proof-of-possession of a hardware-secured key
  • “otp” — One-time password
  • “pin” — Personal Identification Number
  • “pwd” — Password
  • “swk” — Proof-of-possession of a software-secured key
  • “sms” — Confirmation using SMS
  • “user” — User presence test
  • “wia” — Windows Integrated Authentication

See https://www.iana.org/assignments/authentication-method-reference-values/ for the full list of registered values.

Thanks to Caleb Baker, Phil Hunt, Tony Nadalin, and William Denniss, all of whom substantially contributed to the specification. Thanks also to the OAuth working group members, chairs, area directors, and other IETF members who helped refine the specification.

Initial JSON Web Token Best Current Practices Draft

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On June 4, 2017

In Claims, Cryptography, JSON, OAuth, Specifications

OAuth logoJSON Web Tokens (JWTs) and the JSON Object Signing and Encryption (JOSE) functions underlying them are now being widely used in diverse sets of applications. During IETF 98 in Chicago, we discussed reports of people implementing and using JOSE and JWTs insecurely, the causes of these problems, and ways to address them. Part of this discussion was an invited JOSE/JWT Security Update presentation that I gave to two working groups, which included links to problem reports and described mitigations. Citing the widespread use of JWTs in new IETF applications, Security Area Director Kathleen Moriarty suggested during these discussions that a Best Current Practices (BCP) document be written for JSON Web Tokens (JWTs).

I’m happy to report that Yaron Sheffer, Dick Hardt, and myself have produced an initial draft of a JWT BCP. Its abstract is:

JSON Web Tokens, also known as JWTs [RFC7519], are URL-safe JSON-based security tokens that contain a set of claims that can be signed and/or encrypted. JWTs are being widely used and deployed as a simple security token format in numerous protocols and applications, both in the area of digital identity, and in other application areas. The goal of this Best Current Practices document is to provide actionable guidance leading to secure implementation and deployment of JWTs.

In Section 2, we describe threats and vulnerabilities. In Section 3, we describe best practices addressing those threats and vulnerabilities. We believe that the best practices in Sections 3.1 through 3.8 are ready to apply today. Section 3.9 (Use Mutually Exclusive Validation Rules for Different Kinds of JWTs) describes several possible best practices on that topic to serve as a starting point for a discussion on which of them we want to recommend under what circumstances.

We invite input from the OAuth Working Group and other interested parties on what best practices for JSON Web Tokens and the JOSE functions underlying them should be. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and working on this specification together.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

AMR Values specification addressing Stephen Farrell’s comments

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On March 13, 2017

In Claims, JSON, OAuth, OpenID, Specifications

OAuth logoSecurity area director Stephen Farrell had asked us to make it as clear as possible to people who might be registering new “amr” values that names can identify families of closely-related authentication methods. This is now said right in the IANA Registration Template, so that people who might not have read the spec can’t miss it.

FYI, all the previous IESG DISCUSSes have now been cleared, so hopefully that means this is the last version to be published before the Authentication Method Reference Values specification becomes an RFC.

Thanks again to Stephen for his always-thorough reviews of the specification.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

OAuth Token Binding spec adding numerous examples and authorization code token binding

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On March 13, 2017

In Cryptography, OAuth, Specifications, Token Binding

OAuth logoDraft -02 of the OAuth Token Binding specification adds example protocol messages for every distinct flow and also adds token binding for authorization codes. A lot of this is informed by implementation work that Brian Campbell has been doing, who did most of the heavy lifting for this draft. Working group members are requested to give the new text a read before IETF 98 in Chicago and to have a look at the updated open issues list. The descriptions of some of the flows were also clarified, thanks to William Denniss.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

Pre-Chicago OAuth Device Flow specification refinements

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On March 13, 2017

In OAuth, Specifications

OAuth logoDraft -05 of the OAuth 2.0 Device Flow specification contains refinements resulting from additional reviews that have come in. This gets us ready for working group discussions at IETF 98 in Chicago. Noteworthy updates were:

  • Removed the “response_type” request parameter from the authorization request since it’s not going to the authorization endpoint.
  • Specified that parameters that are not understood must be ignored, which is standard practice for OAuth specs.
  • Added the option for the “user_code” value to be included in the request URI, facilitating QR code use cases.
  • Clarified the expiration semantics.

Thanks to William Denniss for coordinating these updates.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

OAuth Authorization Server Metadata spec incorporating WGLC feedback

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On March 10, 2017

In Claims, JSON, OAuth, Specifications

OAuth logoThe OAuth Authorization Server Metadata specification has been updated to incorporate the working group last call feedback received. Thanks to William Denniss and Hannes Tschofenig for their reviews. Use of the “https” scheme for the “jwks_uri” URL is now required. The precedence of signed metadata values over unsigned values was clarified. Unused references were removed.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

AMR Values specification addressing IESG comments

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On February 28, 2017

In Claims, JSON, OAuth, OpenID, Specifications

OAuth logoThe Authentication Method Reference Values specification has been updated to address feedback from the IESG. Identifiers are now restricted to using only printable JSON-friendly ASCII characters. All the “amr” value definitions now include specification references.

Thanks to Stephen Farrell, Alexey Melnikov, Ben Campbell, and Jari Arkko for their reviews.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

OAuth Device Flow specification nearly done

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On February 27, 2017

In OAuth, Specifications

OAuth logoThe OAuth 2.0 Device Flow specification has been updated to flesh out some of the parts that were formerly missing or incomplete. Updates made were:

  • Updated the title to “OAuth 2.0 Device Flow for Browserless and Input Constrained Devices” to reflect the specificity of devices that use this flow.
  • User Instruction section expanded.
  • Security Considerations section added.
  • Usability Considerations section added.
  • Added OAuth 2.0 Authorization Server Metadata definition for the device authorization endpoint.

It’s my sense that this specification is now nearly done. I highly encourage those of you with device flow implementations to review this version with an eye towards ensuring that all the functionality needed for your use cases is present. For instance, I’d suggest comparing the error code definitions to your usage.

Thanks to William Denniss for producing these updates.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

“amr” Values specification addressing IETF last call comments

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On January 24, 2017

In Claims, JSON, OAuth, OpenID, Specifications

OAuth logoDraft -05 of the Authentication Method Reference Values specification addresses the IETF last call comments received. Changes were:

  • Specified characters allowed in “amr” values, reusing the IANA Considerations language on this topic from RFC 7638.
  • Added several individuals to the acknowledgements.

Thanks to Linda Dunbar, Catherine Meadows, and Paul Kyzivat for their reviews.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

OAuth Authorization Server Metadata decoupled from OAuth Protected Resource Metadata

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On January 19, 2017

In Claims, JSON, OAuth, Specifications

OAuth logoThe IETF OAuth working group decided at IETF 97 to proceed with standardizing the OAuth Authorization Server Metadata specification, which is already in widespread use, and to stop work on the OAuth Protected Resource Metadata specification, which is more speculative. Accordingly, a new version of the AS Metadata spec has been published that removes its dependencies upon the Resource Metadata spec. In particular, the “protected_resources” AS Metadata element has been removed. Its definition has been moved to the Resource Metadata spec for archival purposes. Note that the Resource Metadata specification authors intend to let it expire unless the working group decides to resume work on it at some point in the future.

The specifications are available at:

HTML-formatted versions are also available at:

“amr” Values specification addressing area director comments

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On November 13, 2016

In Claims, JSON, OAuth, OpenID, Specifications

OAuth logoDraft -04 of the Authentication Method Reference Values specification addresses comments by our security area director Kathleen Moriarty. Changes were:

  • Added “amr” claim examples with both single and multiple values.
  • Clarified that the actual credentials referenced are not part of this specification to avoid additional privacy concerns for biometric data.
  • Clarified that the OAuth 2.0 Threat Model [RFC6819] applies to applications using this specification.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

“amr” Values specification addressing shepherd comments

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On October 14, 2016

In Claims, JSON, OAuth, OpenID, Specifications

OAuth logoDraft -03 of the Authentication Method Reference Values specification addresses the shepherd comments. It changes the references providing information about specific “amr” values to be informative, rather than normative. A reference to ISO/IEC 29115 was also added. No normative changes were made.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

Using Referred Token Binding ID for Token Binding of Access Tokens

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On September 20, 2016

In Cryptography, OAuth, Specifications

OAuth logoThe OAuth Token Binding specification has been revised to use the Referred Token Binding ID when performing token binding of access tokens. This was enabled by the Implementation Considerations in the Token Binding HTTPS specification being added to make it clear that Token Binding implementations will enable using the Referred Token Binding ID in this manner. Protected Resource Metadata was also defined.

Thanks to Brian Campbell for clarifications on the differences between token binding of access tokens issued from the authorization endpoint versus those issued from the token endpoint.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

“amr” Values specification addressing WGLC comments

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On September 9, 2016

In Claims, JSON, OAuth, OpenID, Specifications

OAuth logoDraft -02 of the Authentication Method Reference Values specification addresses the Working Group Last Call (WGLC) comments received. It adds an example to the multiple-channel authentication description and moves the “amr” definition into the introduction. No normative changes were made.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

Initial Working Group Draft of OAuth Token Binding Specification

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On September 8, 2016

In Cryptography, OAuth, Specifications

OAuth logoThe initial working group draft of the OAuth Token Binding specification has been published. It has the same content as draft-jones-oauth-token-binding-00, but with updated references. This specification defines how to perform token binding for OAuth access tokens and refresh tokens. Note that the access token mechanism is expected to change shortly to use the Referred Token Binding, per working group discussions at IETF 96 in Berlin.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

OAuth Metadata Specifications Enhanced

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On August 3, 2016

In Claims, JSON, OAuth, Specifications

OAuth logoThe existing OAuth 2.0 Authorization Server Metadata specification has now been joined by a related OAuth 2.0 Protected Resource Metadata specification. This means that JSON metadata formats are now defined for all the OAuth 2.0 parties: clients, authorization servers, and protected resources.

The most significant addition to the OAuth 2.0 Authorization Server Metadata specification is enabling signed metadata, represented as claims in a JSON Web Token (JWT). This is analogous to the role that the Software Statement plays in OAuth Dynamic Client Registration. Signed metadata can also be used for protected resource metadata.

For use cases in which the set of protected resources used with an authorization server are enumerable, the authorization server metadata specification now defines the “protected_resources” metadata value to list them. Likewise, the protected resource metadata specification defines an “authorization_servers” metadata value to list the authorization servers that can be used with a protected resource, for use cases in which those are enumerable.

The specifications are available at:

HTML-formatted versions are also available at:

“amr” Values specification distinguishing between iris and retina scan biometrics

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On July 8, 2016

In Claims, JSON, OAuth, OpenID, Specifications

OAuth logoThis draft distinguishes between iris and retina scan biometrics, as requested by NIST, and adds a paragraph providing readers more context at the end of the introduction, which was requested by the chairs during the call for adoption. The OpenID Connect MODRNA Authentication Profile 1.0 specification, which uses “amr” values defined by this specification, is now also referenced.

The specification is available at:

An HTML formatted version is also available at:

Terminology updates in OAuth Mix-Up Mitigation specification

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On July 7, 2016

In OAuth, Specifications

OAuth logoThe only change to the new draft is to use terminology more consistently. Specifically, it changes the terms “issuer URL” and “configuration information location” to “issuer identifier” so that consistent terminology is used for this. (This is the terminology used by OpenID Connect.)

This is being posted in preparation for discussions at the upcoming OAuth Security Workshop in Trier, Germany and the IETF 96 meeting in Berlin.

The specification is available at:

An HTML-formatted version is also available at:

Token Binding for Access Tokens, Refresh Tokens, and ID Tokens

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On July 4, 2016

In Cryptography, JSON, OAuth, OpenID, Specifications

IETF logoTwo new related specifications define syntax and semantics for applying Token Binding to OAuth Access Tokens and Refresh Tokens and to OpenID Connect ID Tokens. draft-jones-oauth-token-binding contains the OAuth portions. openid-connect-token-bound-authentication-1_0 contains the OpenID Connect portions.

These are being submitted now to hopefully enable end-to-end implementations and interop testing of Token Bound Access Tokens, Refresh Tokens, and ID Tokens across multiple platforms before the Token Binding specifications are finalized.

The OAuth specification is available at:

The OpenID Connect specification is available at:

Thanks to Andrei Popov, Yordan Rouskov, John Bradley, and Brian Campbell for reviews of earlier versions of these specifications and to Dirk Balfanz and William Denniss for some earlier discussions providing input to these specifications.

Proof-of-Possession Key Semantics for JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) is now RFC 7800

By

On April 6, 2016

In Cryptography, JSON, OAuth, Specifications

IETF logoThe Proof-of-Possession Key Semantics for JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) specification is now RFC 7800 — an IETF standard. The abstract describes the specification as:

This specification describes how to declare in a JSON Web Token (JWT) that the presenter of the JWT possesses a particular proof-of-possession key and how the recipient can cryptographically confirm proof of possession of the key by the presenter. Being able to prove possession of a key is also sometimes described as the presenter being a holder-of-key.

Thanks to John Bradley, Hannes Tschofenig, and the OAuth working group for their work on this specification.

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