matrix-spec-proposals/proposals/2457-password-modification-invalidating-devices.md

Invalidating devices during password modification

There are multiple use cases for why a user might want to modify their password:

• Adopting a password manager (to use a unique password or more secure password).
• Password rotation.
• Re-secure a compromised account.
• ... probably tons of others ...

These can be summarized into two groups:

1. "My account has been compromised and I need to re-secure it."
2. "I just want to change my password."

The current Matrix specification does not provide a way to differentiate between these use cases. It currently specifies behavior that fits well into the first use-case above: that the sessions except the current session should be revoked.

It is reasonable for a client to want to specify this behavior to offer two different workflows:

1. Modify a password and log all other devices out (for use when an account has been compromised).
2. Modify a password and do not touch any session data (for use in a non-malicious situations).

Alternately a client may default to whichever workflow is best for their users.

Proposal

An optional field is added to the JSON body of the password reset endpoint called logout_devices. This is a boolean flag (defaulting to true) that signals to whether other devices and sessions should be invalidated after modifying the password.

Potential issues

The specification states:

The homeserver SHOULD NOT revoke the access token provided in the request, however all other access tokens for the user should be revoked if the request succeeds.

Defaulting logout_devices to true should be backwards compatible.

Alternatives

A new endpoint could be provided in a future version of the specification that supports an additional field (as described above).

Security considerations

By defaulting to invalidating devices and sessions the security considerations of this endpoint should remain intact. A client will need to be modified to choose to keep other devices active.