Remove timestamp validation for requests that use query string authentication

[timursaikaliev]

Relates to #648

[gaul]

Could you add a unit test that shows this problem more clearly? This will allow fixing the underlying issue more easily.

[gaul]

Sorry I just saw #648 (comment). I'm trying to understand the intention from AWS -- do the Date parameters/headers only apply to unauthenticated requests and the Expires parameters apply to authenticated requests?

[timursaikaliev]

• Date Header: Used in both unauthenticated and authenticated requests. For authenticated requests, it's part of the signing process.

• Expires Parameter: Used for pre-signed URLs to specify how long the URL is valid. It applies to authenticated requests where temporary access is provided.

When using pre-signed URLs in AWS, the Date header is generally not required as the timestamp and expiration are included in the URL parameters themselves. The crucial components in a pre-signed URL are the Expires parameter and the signature, which are used to validate the request.

Even if the Date header is not included, AWS validates the pre-signed URL based on the following:

1. Expiration Check:

• AWS checks the current time against the Expires parameter in the URL. If the current time is beyond the expiration time specified, the request is denied.

2. Signature Verification:

• AWS verifies that the signature is correct by recalculating the expected signature using the provided parameters (including Expires).

• This ensures the URL has not been altered since it was generated.

[timursaikaliev]

So, if we use a pre-signed URL with no Date header, but even with Date parameters in the request, we don't need to validate the timestamp, because if we do, we will always get an error when maximumTimeSkew expires, which is 15 minutes by default.