CVE-2026-55404CWE-74

yt-dlp: Downstream command injection via improper sanitization of yt-dlp --write-link output

High · published July 8, 2026

CVSS v3.1
7.5
EPSS
1%
Percentile
50.0
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

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.

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
7.5 · HIGH
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00640 · 50.0th percentile
Weakness
CWE-74 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Published
2026-07-08T19:36Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 08 JUL 19:36Z
    yt-dlp: Downstream command injection via improper sanitization of yt-dlp --write-link output
    cvelistv5