CVE-2026-49265 PUBLISHED

OAuthLib: Timing Attack Vulnerability in PKCE code_verifier Comparison

Assigner: GitHub_M
Reserved: 28.05.2026 Published: 13.10.2026 Updated: 13.10.2026

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.

Metrics

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
CVSS Score: 6.8

Product Status

Vendor oauthlib
Product oauthlib
Versions
  • Version >= 3.0.0, < 4.0.0 is affected

References

Problem Types

  • CWE-208: Observable Timing Discrepancy CWE