RFC 6238 on TOTP: Time-Based One-Time Password Algorithm

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        RFC 6238

        Title:      TOTP: Time-Based One-Time Password Algorithm 
        Author:     D. M'Raihi, S. Machani,
                    M. Pei, J. Rydell
        Status:     Informational
        Stream:     IETF
        Date:       May 2011
        Mailbox:    davidietf@gmail.com, 
                    smachani@diversinet.com, 
                    Mingliang_Pei@symantec.com,  
                    johanietf@gmail.com
        Pages:      16
        Characters: 32174
        Updates/Obsoletes/SeeAlso:   None

        I-D Tag:    draft-mraihi-totp-timebased-08.txt

        URL:        http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6238.txt

This document describes an extension of the One-Time Password (OTP)
algorithm, namely the HMAC-based One-Time Password (HOTP) algorithm,
as defined in RFC 4226, to support the time-based moving factor.  The
HOTP algorithm specifies an event-based OTP algorithm, where the
moving factor is an event counter.  The present work bases the moving
factor on a time value.  A time-based variant of the OTP algorithm
provides short-lived OTP values, which are desirable for enhanced
security.

The proposed algorithm can be used across a wide range of network
applications, from remote Virtual Private Network (VPN) access and
Wi-Fi network logon to transaction-oriented Web applications.  The
authors believe that a common and shared algorithm will facilitate
adoption of two-factor authentication on the Internet by enabling
interoperability across commercial and open-source implementations.
This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
published for informational purposes.

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It does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of
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