CVE-2026-55404

Summary

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 Software

VendorProductVersion RangeStatus
yt-dlpyt-dlp< 2026.7.4affected

Weaknesses

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

References