CVE-2026-55404 | yt-dlp and youtube-dl are command-line audio/video downloade… | CVSS 7.5 HIGH

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.

Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2026-55404
State: PUBLISHED
Assigner: GitHub_M
Reserved: 2026-06-16 21:48 UTC
Published: 2026-07-08 19:36 UTC
Last updated: 2026-07-09 14:41 UTC
Primary CWE: CWE-74
CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Outpu…
Vendor / Product: yt-dlp / yt-dlp
Sources: cve.org · NVD

Severity & Metrics

7.5 HIGH CVSS 3.1

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

SSVC — CISA Coordinator

Exploitation: none
Automatable: no
Tech. Impact: total

Affected products (1)

Vendor	Product	Platform	Versions
yt-dlp	yt-dlp	—	< 2026.7.4

Weakness (CWE)

CWE	Source	Description
CWE-74	cna	CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')

CVSS scores (1)

Score	Severity	Version	Source	Vector
7.5	HIGH	3.1	cna	CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

References (3)

https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-6v4j-43gg-vj32 https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-6v4j-43gg-vj32
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/b6590aaa1e3808155d69c9a79a797ae484163789 https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/b6590aaa1e3808155d69c9a79a797ae484163789
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.07.04 https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.07.04