A timeframe would be very helpful. This is turning out to be a headache as
I'm testing. If my own user is having to log in over and over to test my
app, I'm quickly hitting the verify_credentials limit (and I'm even using
OAuth).  I'm getting really frustrated.
Jesse

On Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 8:01 PM, Bob Thomson <stormid...@googlemail.com>wrote:

>
> Hi Doug,
>
> Is there a timescale for rolling back / making the change to the new
> scheme?
>
> We're just putting the finishing touches to moving to OAuth and we're
> experiencing the issue when using verify_credentials to get the users
> basic details once we've got the token back from the authentication
> process. We're experiencing the issue when:
>
> 1. Testing our login and authentication processes
> 2. When users login and logout of our application frequently
>
> A heads up on when these changes will be made would be useful. Thanks,
>
> Bob
>
> On Jul 29, 6:37 pm, Grant Emsley <grant.ems...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Locked out of authenticated resources for that account, or will that
> > IP not be able to login to any account?
> >
> > On Jul 29, 1:14 pm, Doug Williams <d...@twitter.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Ray,For clarity, we will roll back the current restriction of 15 calls
> per
> > > user per hour to account/verify_credentials, and implement the proposed
> > > scheme:
> >
> > > > ... we will limit the total number of unsuccessful
> > > > attempts to access authenticated resources to 15 an hour per user per
> IP
> > > > address. If a single IP address makes 15 attempts to access a
> > > > protected resource unsuccessfully for a given user (as indicated by
> an
> > > HTTP 401),
> > > > then the user will be locked out of authenticated resources from that
> > > > IP address for 1 hour.
> >
> > > Thanks,
> > > Doug
> >
> > > On Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 9:51 AM, Ray <rvizz...@testlabs.com> wrote:
> >
> > > > Doug,
> >
> > > > I'm in a similar situation as that voiced by TinBlue.  This change
> has
> > > > affected our iPhone App.  We also want to encourage you to rollback
> > > > this change ASAP.
> >
> > > > When you say "This approach is what we are going to take.", do you
> > > > mean rolling back the fix so as not to affect multiple, successful,
> > > > authorized logins?  I'm hopeful that "this approach" means that our
> > > > apps will not be affected yet again by changing to a new auth
> > > > approach.
> >
> > > > I appreciate you all keeping this thread informed.
> >
> > > > Ray
> >
> > > > On Jul 27, 11:23 am, Doug Williams <d...@twitter.com> wrote:
> > > > > Thanks to everyone who has contributed feedback. This approach is
> what we
> > > > > are going to take.
> > > > > Alex will be making this change shortly. I will update this thread
> when
> > > > > there is timeframe to share.
> >
> > > > > Thanks,
> > > > > Doug
> >
> > > > > On Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 7:52 AM, TinBlue <tinb...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > > > > > What is happening?
> >
> > > > > > This rollback is taking far too long for something that has
> affected a
> > > > > > lot of people!
> >
> > > > > > On Jul 25, 2:32 pm, Dewald Pretorius <dpr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > > > > Doug,
> >
> > > > > > > I would prefer to adopt OAuth instead of writing code for Basic
> Auth.
> >
> > > > > > > So, you guys need to move OAuth out of public beta into full
> > > > > > > production sooner rather than later. :-)
> >
> > > > > > > I manage 100,000+ Twitter accounts, and I simply cannot take on
> the
> > > > > > > support workload of answering user tickets when there's a snag
> with
> > > > > > > OAuth beta.
> >
> > > > > > > I monitor these forums and the API Issues and still see too
> many
> > > > OAuth
> > > > > > > issues being reported to give me a level of comfort that I can
> safely
> > > > > > > switch over to OAuth.
> >
> > > > > > > On Jul 24, 5:46 pm, Doug Williams <d...@twitter.com> wrote:
> >
> > > > > > > > Well said Joshua.
> >
> > > > > > > > Dewald, you have identified the risk of using basic
> authentication.
> > > > If
> > > > > > > > your users being locked out due to malicious behavior, you
> should
> > > > > > > > either implement further user-level rate limiting on your
> side or
> > > > > > > > adopt OAuth.
> >
> > > > > > > > Are there any other glaring omissions in our thinking or
> should we
> > > > > > > > proceed with this as our solution?
> >
> > > > > > > > Thanks,
> > > > > > > > Doug
> >
> > > > > > > > On Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 11:08 AM, Joshua Perry<j...@6bit.com
> >
> > > > wrote:
> >
> > > > > > > > > Jim's concern is valid, fortunately OAuth is immune to
> > > > brute-force
> > > > > > attacks
> > > > > > > > > once the access key has been issued to an application. For
> this
> > > > > > reason alone
> > > > > > > > > I would urge people to switch to OAuth if at all possible.
>  I
> > > > would
> > > > > > hope
> > > > > > > > > (and assume) that if login attempts for an account are
> locked out
> > > > > > that a
> > > > > > > > > user would still be able to successfully use an already
> > > > authorized
> > > > > > OAuth
> > > > > > > > > driven application.
> >
> > > > > > > > > Unfortunately allowing a successful un/pw login while an
> account
> > > > is
> > > > > > locked
> > > > > > > > > out even when the correct password is presented effectively
> > > > bypasses
> > > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > whole reason for a lockout in the first place, preventing
> > > > brute-force
> > > > > > > > > password attempts.  If an attacker used a dictionary or
> > > > brute-force
> > > > > > attack
> > > > > > > > > and the account was locked out after 15 attempts, then they
> could
> > > > > > continue
> > > > > > > > > trying even though the system replied "locked out"; if they
> > > > > > eventually sent
> > > > > > > > > the correct password it would just bypass the lockout and
> they
> > > > would
> > > > > > then
> > > > > > > > > know the correct password.
> >
> > > > > > > > > Perhaps Twitter could implement a selective captcha, I know
> they
> > > > are
> > > > > > > > > annoying but if executed properly it could be effective
> > > > protection
> > > > > > against
> > > > > > > > > brute-force and dictionary attacks. Say after 3 or 4 failed
> > > > attempts
> > > > > > without
> > > > > > > > > a captch the API would then include a captcha image URL in
> it's
> > > > > > response
> > > > > > > > > that the application would then need to show to the person
> and
> > > > > > include the
> > > > > > > > > user's response with the next authentication attempt as a
> header
> > > > or
> > > > > > POST
> > > > > > > > > variable. The site stackoverflow.com does this to great
> effect,
> > > > if
> > > > > > you
> > > > > > > > > create posts quicker than a certain threshold which a
> person
> > > > would
> > > > > > not
> > > > > > > > > exceed then they pop a captcha up, in the normal use of the
> site
> > > > you
> > > > > > will
> > > > > > > > > never see one; I've only hit two captchas in the last in
> the last
> > > > 8
> > > > > > months
> > > > > > > > > using the site.
> >
> > > > > > > > > Josh
> >
> > > > > > > > > Dewald Pretorius wrote:
> >
> > > > > > > > >> Jim raised a huge weakness with the authentication rate
> limiting
> > > > > > that
> > > > > > > > >> could essentially break third-party apps.
> >
> > > > > > > > >> Anybody can try to add anybody else's Twitter account to a
> > > > > > third-party
> > > > > > > > >> app using an invalid password. If they do that 15 times
> with a
> > > > > > Twitter
> > > > > > > > >> account, the real owner of that Twitter account, who may
> have
> > > > added
> > > > > > > > >> his account a long time ago with the correct password, is
> locked
> > > > out
> > > > > > > > >> from using that app for an hour.
> >
> > > > > > > > >> I believe you will absolutely have to reset / remove the
> lock as
> > > > > > soon
> > > > > > > > >> as the Twitter account uses the correct password.
> >
> > > > > > > > >> On Jul 22, 4:58 pm, "jim.renkel" <james.ren...@gmail.com>
> > > > wrote:
> >
> > > > > > > > >>> My concern with this proposal is that it opens up denials
> of
> > > > > > service,
> > > > > > > > >>> not to twitter.com, but to "associated" sites such as
> twitpic,
> > > > or
> > > > > > my
> > > > > > > > >>> site twxlate, among others
> >
> > > > > > > > >>> For example, Lance Armstrong is a heavy user of twitpic.
> It is
> > > > very
> > > > > > > > >>> easy for anyone to find Lance's twitter ID
> (@lancearmstrong),
> > > > view
> > > > > > his
> > > > > > > > >>> status updates, and see that he is a frequent user of
> twitpic.
> > > > Now,
> > > > > > > > >>> someone that is "unhappy" with Lance, say one of George
> > > > Hincapie's
> > > > > > > > >>> ardent fans that really believes that Lance was a
> significant
> > > > > > > > >>> contributor to George not winning the maillot jeune  last
> > > > Sunday,
> > > > > > > > >>> could go to twitpic, fail to login as Lance the requisite
> > > > number of
> > > > > > > > >>> times, and deny Lance access to twitpic.
> >
> > > > > > > > >>> Not only celebrities would or could be subject to such
> denials
> > > > of
> > > > > > > > >>> service. I notice that @dougw occasionally uses twitpic!
> :-)
> >
> > > > > > > > >>> One solution to this problem is to add to each twitter
> account
> > > > > > another
> > > > > > > > >>> "private" ID. By default this private ID would be equal
> to the
> > > > > > > > >>> existing (public) ID (If not equal to the account's
> public ID,
> > > > it
> > > > > > > > >>> would have to be unique among all twitter IDs, both
> public and
> > > > > > > > >>> private.).
> >
> > > > > > > > >>> The public ID would be used just as the existing twitter
> ID is
> > > > now:
> > > > > > > > >>> others would use it to follow, mention, DM, etc., the
> user.
> >
> > > > > > > > >>> But the user MUST use their private ID for authenticated
> > > > requests
> > > > > > > > >>> through the API, and CAN also use it for
> non-authenticated
> > > > > > requests.
> > > > > > > > >>> In either case, twitter would treat a request from a
> private ID
> > > > as
> > > > > > if
> > > > > > > > >>> it came from the corresponding public ID.
> >
> > > > > > > > >>> Blocking the public ID because of excessive
> authentication
> > > > failures
> > > > > > > > >>> would NOT block the associated private ID unless they
> were
> > > > equal.
> > > > > > > > >>> Changing your public ID would also change your private ID
> if
> > > > the
> > > > > > two
> > > > > > > > >>> were the same before the change, i.e., they would remain
> the
> > > > same
> > > > > > > > >>> after the change.
> >
> > > > > > > > >>> It may seem onerous to require all users to also have a
> private
> > > > ID,
> > > > > > > > >>> but since it defaults to be the same as their public ID,
> only
> > > > those
> > > > > > > > >>> concerned about their service being denied would change
> it and
> > > > > > > > >>> subsequently use it instead of their public ID to access
> > > > associated
> > > > > > > > >>> sites such as twitpic or twxlate.
> >
> > > > > > > > >>> In fact, I think this change, though potentially large on
> the
> > > > > > twitter
> > > > > > > > >>> side, could be implemented without any changes to users
> or
> > > > > > associated
> > > > > > > > >>> sites, with one small, obscure exception: now, if I
> attempt to
> > > > > > create
> > > > > > > > >>> a new twitter account or change the ID of an existing
> account,
> > > > and
> > > > > > > > >>> find that the ID I want is in use, I can view that
> account; if
> > > > this
> > > > > > > > >>> were implemented and I attempted to use a private ID that
> was
> > > > not
> > > > > > the
> > > > > > > > >>> same as its associated public ID, I could not view the
> account
> > > > > > using
> > > > > > > > >>> the
> >
> > ...
> >
> > read more ยป
>

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