CVE-2026-50023: yt-dlp_project yt-dlp

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-50023 is a critical (CVSS 9.6) vulnerability in yt-dlp_project yt-dlp. EPSS estimates a 0.66% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 51.1% of scored vulnerabilities. 1 public exploit is recorded.

Timeline

1. 23-06-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 25-06-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

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.

• CWE-641Improper Restriction of Names for Files and Other ResourcesThe product constructs the name of a file or other resource using input from an upstream component, but it does not restrict or incorrectly restricts the resulting name.