Alex, Did the change go live on Tuesday?
I have very irate users due to this issue. There are spam bots out there that got hold of users' credentials. The users have changed their Twitter passwords to get rid of the spam tweets published in their timelines, but now those bots are locking them out 24x7 from all apps that use the API. On Aug 3, 2:56 pm, Alex Payne <a...@twitter.com> wrote: > The rollback should be deployed tomorrow. Sorry for the delay. > > On Sat, Aug 1, 2009 at 23:36, Jesse Stay<jesses...@gmail.com> wrote: > > 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, > > ... > > read more »