Why "Log in with Google" never sees your password (PKCE, explained)
Ever wondered how "Log in with Google" works without the app ever touching your password? That's OAuth 2.0 — and on mobile apps and SPAs, the piece that makes it safe is PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange). The problem P
Ever wondered how "Log in with Google" works without the app ever touching
your password? That's OAuth 2.0 — and on mobile apps and SPAs, the piece that
makes it safe is PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange).
The problem PKCE solves: a public client (a mobile app or SPA) can't keep a
secret. So an attacker who intercepts the authorization code could exchange it
for a token.
PKCE fixes this with a simple trick:
- The app generates a random "code verifier"
- It sends a hashed version (the "code challenge") when starting login
- To redeem the code, it must present the original verifier
An intercepted code is useless without the verifier that only the real app has.
I broke down the whole flow step by step — what each value does and the exact
attack it prevents:
👉 https://www.orbittest.dev/blog/oauth-authorization-code-flow-pkce
Are you using PKCE in your SPA/mobile auth today?
Originally published by Dev.to Security. Aggregated on AIWithGhost for educational purposes — full credit and traffic to the original publisher.