high7.5
CVE-2026-55404
yt-dlp: Downstream command injection via improper sanitization of yt-dlp --write-link output
Impact
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.
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| pip | yt-dlp | < 2026.7.4 | 2026.7.4 |
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions |
|---|---|---|
| Yt-Dlp Project | Yt-Dlp | before 2026.07.04 |
Weakness classification
References
- NVD record
- CVE.org record
- GitHub advisory
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-6v4j-43gg-vj32
- https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-6v4j-43gg-vj32
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-55404
- https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/6fc85f617a5850307fd5b258477070e6ee177796
- https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/b6590aaa1e3808155d69c9a79a797ae484163789
- https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp-nightly-builds/releases/tag/2026.07.04.221833
- https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.07.04