diff --git a/powerdnsadmin/decorators.py b/powerdnsadmin/decorators.py
index 50e4a3f..7be69f3 100644
--- a/powerdnsadmin/decorators.py
+++ b/powerdnsadmin/decorators.py
@@ -133,50 +133,63 @@ def api_basic_auth(f):
     @wraps(f)
     def decorated_function(*args, **kwargs):
         auth_header = request.headers.get('Authorization')
-        if auth_header:
-            auth_header = auth_header.replace('Basic ', '', 1)
 
-            try:
-                auth_header = str(base64.b64decode(auth_header), 'utf-8')
-                username, password = auth_header.split(":")
-            except binascii.Error as e:
-                current_app.logger.error(
-                    'Invalid base64-encoded of credential. Error {0}'.format(
-                        e))
-                abort(401)
-            except TypeError as e:
-                current_app.logger.error('Error: {0}'.format(e))
-                abort(401)
-
-            user = User(username=username,
-                        password=password,
-                        plain_text_password=password)
-
-            try:
-                if Setting().get('verify_user_email') and user.email and not user.confirmed:
-                    current_app.logger.warning(
-                        'Basic authentication failed for user {} because of unverified email address'
-                        .format(username))
-                    abort(401)
-
-                auth_method = request.args.get('auth_method', 'LOCAL')
-                auth_method = 'LDAP' if auth_method != 'LOCAL' else 'LOCAL'
-                auth = user.is_validate(method=auth_method,
-                                        src_ip=request.remote_addr)
-
-                if not auth:
-                    current_app.logger.error('Checking user password failed')
-                    abort(401)
-                else:
-                    user = User.query.filter(User.username == username).first()
-                    current_user = user  # lgtm [py/unused-local-variable]
-            except Exception as e:
-                current_app.logger.error('Error: {0}'.format(e))
-                abort(401)
-        else:
+        if not auth_header:
             current_app.logger.error('Error: Authorization header missing!')
             abort(401)
 
+        if auth_header[:6] != "Basic ":
+            current_app.logger.error('Error: Unsupported authorization mechanism!')
+            abort(401)
+
+        # Remove "Basic " from the header value
+        auth_header = auth_header[6:]
+
+        try:
+            auth_header = str(base64.b64decode(auth_header), 'utf-8')
+            # NK: We use auth_components here as we don't know if we'll have a :, we split it maximum 1 times to grab the
+            #     username, the rest of the string would be the password.
+            auth_components = auth_header.split(':', maxsplit=1)
+        except (binascii.Error, UnicodeDecodeError) as e:
+            current_app.logger.error(
+                'Invalid base64-encoded of credential. Error {0}'.format(
+                    e))
+            abort(401)
+        except TypeError as e:
+            current_app.logger.error('Error: {0}'.format(e))
+            abort(401)
+
+        # If we don't have two auth components (username, password), we can abort
+        if len(auth_components) != 2:
+            abort(401)
+
+        (username, password) = auth_components
+
+        user = User(username=username,
+                    password=password,
+                    plain_text_password=password)
+
+        try:
+            if Setting().get('verify_user_email') and user.email and not user.confirmed:
+                current_app.logger.warning(
+                    'Basic authentication failed for user {} because of unverified email address'
+                    .format(username))
+                abort(401)
+
+            auth_method = request.args.get('auth_method', 'LOCAL')
+            auth_method = 'LDAP' if auth_method != 'LOCAL' else 'LOCAL'
+            auth = user.is_validate(method=auth_method, src_ip=request.remote_addr)
+
+            if not auth:
+                current_app.logger.error('Checking user password failed')
+                abort(401)
+            else:
+                user = User.query.filter(User.username == username).first()
+                current_user = user  # lgtm [py/unused-local-variable]
+        except Exception as e:
+            current_app.logger.error('Error: {0}'.format(e))
+            abort(401)
+
         return f(*args, **kwargs)
 
     return decorated_function