CVE-2026-55404
yt-dlp: Downstream command injection via improper sanitization of yt-dlp --write-link output
- State
- Published
- Severity
- 7.5 High
- Published
- Jul 8, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 9, 2026
- Reserved
- Jun 16, 2026
Description
yt-dlp and youtube-dl are command-line audio/video downloaders. Prior to 2026.7.4, the --write-link, --write-url-link, and --write-desktop-link options can write .url or .desktop shortcut files using attacker-controlled webpage_url or filename metadata without sufficient validation or escaping, allowing malicious file:// URI injection on Windows or newline-based desktop entry key injection on Linux that can execute commands if the generated shortcut is opened. This issue is fixed in version 2026.7.4.
Scores
| CVSS | Score | Vector | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | 7.5 High | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | GitHub_M |
Weaknesses
- CWE-74 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
yt-dlpyt-dlp |
|
References
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