CVE-2026-49265

OAuthLib: Timing Attack Vulnerability in PKCE code_verifier Comparison

State
Published
Severity
6.8 Medium
Published
Oct 13, 2026
Updated
Oct 13, 2026
Reserved
May 28, 2026

Read the record on cve.org

Description

OAuthLib is an implementation of the OAuth request-signing logic for Python 3.6+. From 3.0.0 until 4.0.0, OAuthLib's PKCE checks in oauthlib/oauth2/rfc6749/grant_types/authorization_code.py compare attacker-supplied code_verifier values with stored challenges using ordinary string equality in code_challenge_method_plain and code_challenge_method_s256. Because the comparison can return after a length difference or the first mismatching character, repeated token endpoint measurements can reveal common-prefix timing information that could potentially allow recovery of the code_verifier, unauthorized access-token acquisition, and account takeover. Practical exploitation requires an intercepted, single-use authorization code and enough measurements to overcome real-world network noise; the local timing benchmark does not establish practical remote account takeover, so the weakness remains a defense-in-depth concern. This issue is fixed in version 4.0.0.

Scores

CVSSScoreVectorSource
3.16.8 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:NGitHub_M

Weaknesses

  • CWE-208 Observable Timing Discrepancy

Affected Products

ProductVersions
oauthliboauthlib
  • >= 3.0.0, < 4.0.0Affected

References

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