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.
Weakness
The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.
Affected Software
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yt-dlp | Yt-dlp_project | * | 2026.07.04 (excluding) |
| Yt-dlp | Ubuntu | questing | * |
Potential Mitigations
Related Attack Patterns
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