Vulnerability · Published Jun 23, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2026-50023yt-dlp: Dangerous file type creation via insufficient filename sanitization (Bypass of CVE-2024-38519)
High 8.3
In plain English
A high-severity security flaw in yt-dlp from yt-dlp. Proof-of-concept exploit code is public. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.7% (higher than 52% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
yt-dlp is a command-line audio/video downloader. Prior to 2026.06.09, a vulnerability exists in yt-dlp that allows a remote attacker to write arbitrary OS-shortcut files (such as .desktop, .url, .webloc) to the user's filesystem, bypassing the remediation for CVE-2024-38519. The allowlist explicitly included the unsafe extensions .desktop, .url, and .webloc so that the functionality of the --write-link option (and its variants) could be preserved. These allowlist inclusions can be exploited by an attacker to write malicious OS-shortcut files in the context of a media or subtitles download. This vulnerability is fixed in 2026.06.09.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | yt-dlp | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-50023 |
| Debian:13 | yt-dlp | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-50023 |
| Debian:14 | yt-dlp | 2026.06.09-1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-50023 |
| PyPI | yt-dlp | 2026.6.9 | GHSA-c6mh-fpjc-4pr3 |
| PyPI | yt-dlp | 2026.6.9 | PYSEC-2026-3430 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | yt-dlp | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-50023 |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | yt-dlp | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-50023 |
| Ubuntu:25.10 | yt-dlp | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-50023 |
| Ubuntu:26.04:LTS | yt-dlp | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-50023 |
| Ubuntu:26.10 | yt-dlp | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-50023 |
Affected products (as reported)
Weakness: CWE-641 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-c6mh-fpjc-4pr3 x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/e578e265f7c6ca94a74b30e0d8d6196a4d19fb6a x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp-nightly-builds/releases/tag/2026.06.09.230517 x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.06.09 x_refsource_MISC