yt-dlp: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements

2026-09-09 · CVE-2026-55404 · VuXML entry

https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-6v4j-43gg-vj32 reports: yt-dlp and youtube-dl are command-line audio/video downloaders. Prior to 2026.7.4, the --write-link, --write-url-link, and --write-desktop-link options can write .url or .desktop shortcut files using attacker-controlled webpage_url or filename metadata without sufficient validation or escaping, allowing malicious file:// URI injection …

Affected versions

• yt-dlp < 2026.07.04

By system

1 still vulnerable, 1 fixed. Where VuXML applies (FreeBSD, DragonFly, FreeBSD's derivatives) a port is vulnerable while its version is in a range; pkgsrc says itself whether it lists a CVE of this advisory; OpenBSD and MidnightBSD keep no list this site reads, so their row is only an estimate: FreeBSD's ranges applied to upstream's version.