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 products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| yt-dlp | yt-dlp | < 2026.06.09 | — |
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 | 2026.06.09-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | yt-dlp | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | yt-dlp | 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 | 2026.06.09-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:11019-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | yt-dlp | 2026.06.09-bp160.1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:21163-1 |
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PyPI | yt-dlp | < 2026.6.9 | 2026.6.9 | GHSA-c6mh-fpjc-4pr3 |
Advisories 2
- openSUSE-SU-2026:21163-1 Security update for yt-dlp SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jun 30, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:11019-1 python313-yt-dlp-2026.06.09-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jun 13, 2026