`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.
| Product | Vendor Advisory | Solution File | Added | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Linux | — | Upgrade yt-dlp | Aug 8, 2025 | Jul 2, 2024 |
| Debian | — | Upgrade yt-dlp | May 15, 2025 | Jul 2, 2024 |
| Gentoo Linux | — | Upgrade net-misc/yt-dlp. | Sep 30, 2024 | Jul 2, 2024 |
| Suse | — | Upgrade yt-dlp-bash-completionUpgrade python312-yt-dlpUpgrade yt-dlpUpgrade yt-dlp-zsh-completionUpgrade yt-dlp-fish-completionUpgrade python311-yt-dlpUpgrade yt-dlp-youtube-dl | Aug 6, 2024 | Jul 2, 2024 |
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