diff --git a/lib/util/jwtutil.js b/lib/util/jwtutil.js
index 904b0407..1b7c50d9 100644
--- a/lib/util/jwtutil.js
+++ b/lib/util/jwtutil.js
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ module.exports.encode = function(options) {
 }
 
 module.exports.decode = function(payload, secret) {
-  if (!jws.verify(payload, secret)) {
+  if (!jws.verify(payload, 'HS256', secret)) {
     return null
   }