CVE-2024-38519Patch

LOWCVSS 7.8 · HIGH

Signal is active with 1 mentions in latest observed window

Immediate actions

  • Patch affected systems immediately

Recommended action window: Monitor and triage in normal cycle

NVD description

`yt-dlp` and `youtube-dl` are command-line audio/video downloaders. Prior to the fixed versions, `yt-dlp` and `youtube-dl` do not limit the extensions of downloaded files, which could lead to arbitrary filenames being created in the download folder (and path traversal on Windows). Since `yt-dlp` and `youtube-dl` also read config from the working directory (and on Windows executables will be executed from the `yt-dlp` or `youtube-dl` directory), this could lead to arbitrary code being executed. `yt-dlp` version 2024.07.01 fixes this issue by whitelisting the allowed extensions. `youtube-dl` fixes this issue in commit `d42a222` on the `master` branch and in nightly builds tagged 2024-07-03 or later. This might mean some very uncommon extensions might not get downloaded, however it will also limit the possible exploitation surface. In addition to upgrading, have `.%(ext)s` at the end of the output template and make sure the user trusts the websites that they are downloading from. Also, make sure to never download to a directory within PATH or other sensitive locations like one's user directory, `system32`, or other binaries locations. For users who are not able to upgrade, keep the default output template (`-o "%(title)s [%(id)s].%(ext)s`); make sure the extension of the media to download is a common video/audio/sub/... one; try to avoid the generic extractor; and/or use `--ignore-config --config-location ...` to not load config from common locations.

0.5/ 10 priority

Sources & remediation

Weakness type (CWE)
CWE-669

Priority

LOW

Exploitation

NONE

PoC

NONE

Patch

AVAILABLE

Momentum

NONE

Threat summary

  • Patch or workaround signal is available
  • 1 mentions across 1 observed day

What's happening

  • Patch or workaround mentioned in 1 signal
  • Technical details provided in 1 signal
  • 1 total mentions across 1 day

Deep dive

Activity timeline1 mentions / 1d
00111Mentions · 2026-06-24: 1Patch / Workaround · 2026-06-24: 1Technical Details · 2026-06-24: 106-24
Signal classification1 categories
Patch
1100.0%
Full discourse1 post
  • Upwind Security MDR@UpwindMDR
    Patch

    🚨 HIGH - Arbitrary OS shortcut file write via crafted media/subtitle extensions (CVE-2026-50023) yt-dlp is vulnerable to being tricked into writing attacker-chosen OS shortcut files (e.g., .desktop, .url, .webloc) to a user’s filesystem during downloads, affecting its filename/extension handling logic. The root cause is improper input validation/insufficient restrictions on output filename extensions, allowing a bypass of the earlier mitigation for CVE-2024-38519. An attacker exploits this by providing attacker-controlled media/subtitle extension sources (notably crafted m3u8 subtitle URIs) so that when the victim downloads content with yt-dlp, a malicious shortcut payload is written without needing elevated privileges. Impact includes planting phishing lures and persistence-like artifacts, with potential code execution or credential theft if the user later opens the generated shortcut file. 👉 Affected: yt-dlp < 2026.06.09 | Upgrade to 2026.06.09

    Post summary

    CVE-2026-50023 enables yt‑dlp to create arbitrary OS shortcut files via crafted media/subtitle extensions; no active exploitation is reported, and users are advised to upgrade to version 2026.06.09 or later.

    0000071
    226 followersView on X

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