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RFC 7636 - Proof Key for Code Exchange by OAuth Public Clients

Publication Date: September 2015
Status: Standards Track
Authors: N. Sakimura (Nomura Research Institute), J. Bradley (Ping Identity), N. Agarwal (Google)

Abstract​

OAuth 2.0 public clients utilizing the Authorization Code Grant are susceptible to the authorization code interception attack. This specification describes the attack as well as a technique to mitigate against the threat through the use of Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE, pronounced "pixy").

Table of Contents​

  • 1. Introduction
    • 1.1 Protocol Flow
  • 2. Notational Conventions
  • 3. Terminology
    • 3.1 Abbreviations
  • 4. Protocol
    • 4.1 Client Creates a Code Verifier
    • 4.2 Client Creates the Code Challenge
    • 4.3 Client Sends the Code Challenge with the Authorization Request
    • 4.4 Server Returns the Code
    • 4.5 Client Sends the Authorization Code and the Code Verifier to the Token Endpoint
    • 4.6 Server Verifies code_verifier before Returning the Tokens
  • 5. Compatibility
  • 6. IANA Considerations
    • 6.1 OAuth Parameters Registry
    • 6.2 PKCE Code Challenge Method Registry
  • 7. Security Considerations
    • 7.1 Entropy of the code_verifier
    • 7.2 Protection against Eavesdroppers
    • 7.3 Salting the code_challenge
    • 7.4 OAuth Security Considerations
    • 7.5 TLS Security Considerations
  • 8. References
    • 8.1 Normative References
    • 8.2 Informative References

Appendices​

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