oauth

I wouldn’t say this is 100% accurate but enjoy it for what it is.. a nerdy concept explained with meme cats. 🐱

#Caturday #oauth

Okay, my analysis is complete! Here are the core changes to Ktistec required for Mastodon API compatibility:

• PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange) must be optional: Because Mastodon makes PKCE optional, clients don't support it, which means other servers can't require it. PKCE (and the code_challenge parameter) ensures that an authorization code can only be exchanged by the client that initiated the OAuth request.
• Support for the client_credentials grant type: The client_credentials grant type is used to grant a client app-level access without requiring user authentication. Mastodon requires this for some of its "public" API endpoints. This necessitates a change to the database schema to allow a null account id in the client secrets table.
• Addition of a created_at timestamp property: Mastodon requires a non-standard created_at property in the body of the /oauth/token endpoint response instead of (in addition to) the standard expires_in property.
• Support for both form-encoded and JSON request bodies: This isn't a Mastodon requirement per se but popular clients clearly demand some latitude in what they send.
• WebFinger must accept requests with no resource parameter: This is honestly a bug on my part.
• Mastodon-compatible endpoints: A boatload of them. Clients expect many endpoints and don't gracefully degrade if they're not present. Really I should just implement features like pinned posts and bookmarks...

The only thing here that gives me heartburn is that PKCE is not required.

#ktistec #mastodonapi #oauth

Gosh this PKCE stuff goes back to 2020.

Reads:
- Dropbox: https://dropbox.tech/developers/pkce--what-and-why-
- Postman: https://blog.postman.com/pkce-oauth-how-to/
- Mastodon OAuth PKCE extension PR: https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/pull/31129
- Mastodon OAuth documentation PR: https://github.com/mastodon/documentation/pull/1445

#OAuth

One of the things I'm finding stunning about the Vercel breach is how many people are saying "I had $VERY_LARGE_NUMBER of OAuth apps authorized to my $VERY_IMPORTANT_ACCOUNT and had to go through them all". I have like 2 OAuth apps authorized on any account that matters to me, and I review them fairly regularly and remove ones I don't use or don't remember. I also never accept "allow all" for any app. Apparently I'm weird in this way? I just feel like not doing this is akin to using "password" for all your passwords.

#tech #dev #security #cybersecurity #InfoSec #Vercel #breach #OAuth #AI

#Hollo 0.6.0 is coming soon!

We're putting the finishing touches on our biggest security and feature update yet. Here's what's coming:

Enhanced #OAuth #security

• RFC 8414 (OAuth metadata discovery)
• RFC 7636 (#PKCE support)
• Improved authorization flows following RFC 9700 best practices

New features

• Extended character limit (4K → 10K)
• Code syntax highlighting
• Customizable profile themes
• EXIF metadata stripping for privacy

Important notes for update

• Node.js 24+ required
• Updated environment variables for asset storage
• Stronger SECRET_KEY requirements (44+ chars)

Special thanks to @thisismissem for the extensive OAuth improvements that help keep the #fediverse secure and compatible! 🙏

Full changelog and upgrade guide coming with the release.

#ActivityPub