nextcloud / nextcloud/server

Support WebAuthn without PIN entry

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#36,530 2 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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0. Needs triage enhancement feature: authentication
Dominant language
PHP
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Description

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

There are currently two methods available by default to replace passwords for authentication:
U2F and WebAuthn

When U2F is used, the user is asked to touch the authenticator to verify the user presence.
When WebAuthn is used, the user has to both touch their authenticator and enter a PIN

According to the Fido2 specification the server can determine what methods the user has to provide to authenticate (e.g. only touch, only PIN or both)

Describe the solution you'd like

When registering a WebAuthn authenticator, the user should be able to select the method required to authenticate, e.g. allowing the use of an authenticator without entering a pin and instead only require user presence (touching the device)

Describe alternatives you've considered
Since entering a pin in addition to touching the authenticator at every login is more inconvenient then plain password authentication, the logical alternative would be to stick with passwords.

Additional context
The forced use of PIN verification during the WebAuthn process is an inconvenience that could drive users to stick with weak password authentication.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by locating the server's WebAuthn registration and authentication entry points and reviewing how FIDO2 user-verification requirements are selected. Check the relevant WebAuthn tests if present; done means a registered authenticator can require user presence without forcing PIN entry during login.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
php
Domain
authentication, security
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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