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.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| yt-dlp | yt-dlp | < 2024.07.01 – < 2024.07.01 | 2024.07.01 |
| ytdl-org | youtube-dl | >= 2015.01.25 – ≤ 2021.12.17, nightly – < 2024-07-03 | 2024-07-03 |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | yt-dlp | 2024.07.01-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | yt-dlp | 2024.07.01-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | yt-dlp +1 | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | yt-dlp | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | yt-dlp | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | yt-dlp | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | yt-dlp | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | yt-dlp | No fix yet | — |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | yt-dlp | 2024.07.01-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:14094-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | yt-dlp | 2024.07.01-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | yt-dlp | 2024.07.01-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | yt-dlp | 2024.07.01-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | yt-dlp | 2024.07.01-r0 | — |
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PyPI | yt-dlp | < 2024.07.01 | 2024.07.01 | GHSA-79w7-vh3h-8g4j |
Advisories 1
- openSUSE-SU-2024:14094-1 python310-yt-dlp-2024.07.01-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-79w7-vh3h-8g4j
- https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/5ce582448ececb8d9c30c8c31f58330090ced03a
- https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2024.07.01
- https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2024-090_yt-dlp
- https://github.com/dirkf/youtube-dl/security/advisories/GHSA-22fp-mf44-f2mq
- https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2024-089_youtube-dl/
- https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl/pull/32830
- https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl/commit/d42a222ed541b96649396ef00e19552aef0f09ec