GCVE Workshop - 22 September 2026 (14:00-18:00), Luxembourg Before The Vulnopticon Conference - Registration

CVE-2026-26331 (GCVE-0-2026-26331)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-02-24 02:23 – Updated: 2026-02-24 20:08
VLAI
Title
yt-dlp: Arbitrary Command Injection when using the `--netrc-cmd` option
Summary
yt-dlp is a command-line audio/video downloader. Starting in version 2023.06.21 and prior to version 2026.02.21, when yt-dlp's `--netrc-cmd` command-line option (or `netrc_cmd` Python API parameter) is used, an attacker could achieve arbitrary command injection on the user's system with a maliciously crafted URL. yt-dlp maintainers assume the impact of this vulnerability to be high for anyone who uses `--netrc-cmd` in their command/configuration or `netrc_cmd` in their Python scripts. Even though the maliciously crafted URL itself will look very suspicious to many users, it would be trivial for a maliciously crafted webpage with an inconspicuous URL to covertly exploit this vulnerability via HTTP redirect. Users without `--netrc-cmd` in their arguments or `netrc_cmd` in their scripts are unaffected. No evidence has been found of this exploit being used in the wild. yt-dlp version 2026.02.21 fixes this issue by validating all netrc "machine" values and raising an error upon unexpected input. As a workaround, users who are unable to upgrade should avoid using the `--netrc-cmd` command-line option (or `netrc_cmd` Python API parameter), or they should at least not pass a placeholder (`{}`) in their `--netrc-cmd` argument.
Severity
8.8 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
SSVC
Exploitation: none Automatable: no Technical Impact: total
CISA Coordinator · CISA-ADP (v2.0.3)
Decision recorded 2026-02-24 20:08 UTC
CWE
  • CWE-78 - Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version CPE status
yt-dlp yt-dlp Affected: >= 2023.06.21, < 2026.02.21
guessed Create a notification for this product.
Show details on NVD website
To clipboard 

{
  "containers": {
    "adp": [
      {
        "metrics": [
          {
            "other": {
              "content": {
                "id": "CVE-2026-26331",
                "options": [
                  {
                    "Exploitation": "none"
                  },
                  {
                    "Automatable": "no"
                  },
                  {
                    "Technical Impact": "total"
                  }
                ],
                "role": "CISA Coordinator",
                "timestamp": "2026-02-24T20:08:27.991642Z",
                "version": "2.0.3"
              },
              "type": "ssvc"
            }
          }
        ],
        "providerMetadata": {
          "dateUpdated": "2026-02-24T20:08:47.720Z",
          "orgId": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
          "shortName": "CISA-ADP"
        },
        "title": "CISA ADP Vulnrichment"
      }
    ],
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "product": "yt-dlp",
          "vendor": "yt-dlp",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "\u003e= 2023.06.21, \u003c 2026.02.21"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "yt-dlp is a command-line audio/video downloader. Starting in version 2023.06.21 and prior to version 2026.02.21, when yt-dlp\u0027s `--netrc-cmd` command-line option (or `netrc_cmd` Python API parameter) is used, an attacker could achieve arbitrary command injection on the user\u0027s system with a maliciously crafted URL. yt-dlp maintainers assume the impact of this vulnerability to be high for anyone who uses `--netrc-cmd` in their command/configuration or `netrc_cmd` in their Python scripts. Even though the maliciously crafted URL itself will look very suspicious to many users, it would be trivial for a maliciously crafted webpage with an inconspicuous URL to covertly exploit this vulnerability via HTTP redirect. Users without `--netrc-cmd` in their arguments or `netrc_cmd` in their scripts are unaffected. No evidence has been found of this exploit being used in the wild. yt-dlp version 2026.02.21 fixes this issue by validating all netrc \"machine\" values and raising an error upon unexpected input. As a workaround, users who are unable to upgrade should avoid using the `--netrc-cmd` command-line option (or `netrc_cmd` Python API parameter), or they should at least not pass a placeholder (`{}`) in their `--netrc-cmd` argument."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "attackComplexity": "LOW",
            "attackVector": "NETWORK",
            "availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
            "baseScore": 8.8,
            "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
            "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
            "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
            "privilegesRequired": "NONE",
            "scope": "UNCHANGED",
            "userInteraction": "REQUIRED",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          }
        }
      ],
      "problemTypes": [
        {
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "cweId": "CWE-78",
              "description": "CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command (\u0027OS Command Injection\u0027)",
              "lang": "en",
              "type": "CWE"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-02-24T02:23:40.858Z",
        "orgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
        "shortName": "GitHub_M"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-g3gw-q23r-pgqm",
          "tags": [
            "x_refsource_CONFIRM"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-g3gw-q23r-pgqm"
        },
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/1fbbe29b99dc61375bf6d786f824d9fcf6ea9c1a",
          "tags": [
            "x_refsource_MISC"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/1fbbe29b99dc61375bf6d786f824d9fcf6ea9c1a"
        },
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.02.21",
          "tags": [
            "x_refsource_MISC"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.02.21"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "advisory": "GHSA-g3gw-q23r-pgqm",
        "discovery": "UNKNOWN"
      },
      "title": "yt-dlp: Arbitrary Command Injection when using the `--netrc-cmd` option"
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
    "assignerShortName": "GitHub_M",
    "cveId": "CVE-2026-26331",
    "datePublished": "2026-02-24T02:23:40.858Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-02-13T16:27:51.810Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-02-24T20:08:47.720Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2",
  "vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
    "epss": {
      "cve": "CVE-2026-26331",
      "date": "2026-09-17",
      "epss": "0.01596",
      "percentile": "0.74535"
    },
    "nvd": {
      "cve": {
        "affected": [
          {
            "affectedData": [
              {
                "product": "yt-dlp",
                "vendor": "yt-dlp",
                "versions": [
                  {
                    "status": "affected",
                    "version": "\u003e= 2023.06.21, \u003c 2026.02.21"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ],
            "source": "security-advisories@github.com"
          }
        ],
        "configurations": [
          {
            "nodes": [
              {
                "cpeMatch": [
                  {
                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:a:yt-dlp_project:yt-dlp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "matchCriteriaId": "12B9D4B5-A1FA-4317-A911-DF469B09D3D5",
                    "versionEndExcluding": "2026.02.21",
                    "versionStartIncluding": "2023.06.21",
                    "vulnerable": true
                  }
                ],
                "negate": false,
                "operator": "OR"
              }
            ]
          }
        ],
        "cveTags": [],
        "descriptions": [
          {
            "lang": "en",
            "value": "yt-dlp is a command-line audio/video downloader. Starting in version 2023.06.21 and prior to version 2026.02.21, when yt-dlp\u0027s `--netrc-cmd` command-line option (or `netrc_cmd` Python API parameter) is used, an attacker could achieve arbitrary command injection on the user\u0027s system with a maliciously crafted URL. yt-dlp maintainers assume the impact of this vulnerability to be high for anyone who uses `--netrc-cmd` in their command/configuration or `netrc_cmd` in their Python scripts. Even though the maliciously crafted URL itself will look very suspicious to many users, it would be trivial for a maliciously crafted webpage with an inconspicuous URL to covertly exploit this vulnerability via HTTP redirect. Users without `--netrc-cmd` in their arguments or `netrc_cmd` in their scripts are unaffected. No evidence has been found of this exploit being used in the wild. yt-dlp version 2026.02.21 fixes this issue by validating all netrc \"machine\" values and raising an error upon unexpected input. As a workaround, users who are unable to upgrade should avoid using the `--netrc-cmd` command-line option (or `netrc_cmd` Python API parameter), or they should at least not pass a placeholder (`{}`) in their `--netrc-cmd` argument."
          },
          {
            "lang": "es",
            "value": "yt-dlp es un descargador de audio/v\u00eddeo de l\u00ednea de comandos. A partir de la versi\u00f3n 2023.06.21 y antes de la versi\u00f3n 2026.02.21, cuando se utiliza la opci\u00f3n de l\u00ednea de comandos \u0027--netrc-cmd\u0027 de yt-dlp (o el par\u00e1metro de API de Python \u0027netrc_cmd\u0027), un atacante podr\u00eda lograr una inyecci\u00f3n de comandos arbitraria en el sistema del usuario con una URL creada maliciosamente. Los encargados del mantenimiento de yt-dlp asumen que el impacto de esta vulnerabilidad es alto para cualquiera que use \u0027--netrc-cmd\u0027 en su comando/configuraci\u00f3n o \u0027netrc_cmd\u0027 en sus scripts de Python. Aunque la URL creada maliciosamente en s\u00ed parecer\u00e1 muy sospechosa para muchos usuarios, ser\u00eda trivial explotar encubiertamente esta vulnerabilidad a trav\u00e9s de una redirecci\u00f3n HTTP para una p\u00e1gina web creada maliciosamente con una URL discreta . Los usuarios sin \u0027--netrc-cmd\u0027 en sus argumentos o \u0027netrc_cmd\u0027 en sus scripts no se ven afectados. No se ha encontrado evidencia de que este exploit se est\u00e9 utilizando. La versi\u00f3n 2026.02.21 de yt-dlp soluciona este problema validando todos los valores de \u0027machine\u0027 de netrc y generando un error ante una entrada inesperada. Como soluci\u00f3n alternativa, los usuarios que no puedan actualizarse deben evitar usar la opci\u00f3n de l\u00ednea de comandos \u0027--netrc-cmd\u0027 (o el par\u00e1metro de API de Python \u0027netrc_cmd\u0027), o al menos no deben pasar un marcador de posici\u00f3n (\u0027{}\u0027) en su argumento \u0027--netrc-cmd\u0027."
          }
        ],
        "id": "CVE-2026-26331",
        "lastModified": "2026-06-17T10:26:06.463",
        "metrics": {
          "cvssMetricV31": [
            {
              "cvssData": {
                "attackComplexity": "LOW",
                "attackVector": "NETWORK",
                "availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
                "baseScore": 8.8,
                "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
                "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
                "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
                "privilegesRequired": "NONE",
                "scope": "UNCHANGED",
                "userInteraction": "REQUIRED",
                "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
                "version": "3.1"
              },
              "exploitabilityScore": 2.8,
              "impactScore": 5.9,
              "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
              "type": "Secondary"
            }
          ],
          "ssvcV203": [
            {
              "source": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
              "ssvcData": {
                "id": "CVE-2026-26331",
                "options": [
                  {
                    "exploitation": "none"
                  },
                  {
                    "automatable": "no"
                  },
                  {
                    "technicalImpact": "total"
                  }
                ],
                "role": "CISA Coordinator",
                "timestamp": "2026-02-24T20:08:27.991642Z",
                "version": "2.0.3"
              }
            }
          ]
        },
        "published": "2026-02-24T03:16:01.710",
        "references": [
          {
            "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
            "tags": [
              "Patch"
            ],
            "url": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/1fbbe29b99dc61375bf6d786f824d9fcf6ea9c1a"
          },
          {
            "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
            "tags": [
              "Product",
              "Release Notes"
            ],
            "url": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.02.21"
          },
          {
            "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
            "tags": [
              "Exploit",
              "Mitigation",
              "Vendor Advisory"
            ],
            "url": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-g3gw-q23r-pgqm"
          }
        ],
        "sourceIdentifier": "security-advisories@github.com",
        "vulnStatus": "Analyzed",
        "weaknesses": [
          {
            "description": [
              {
                "lang": "en",
                "value": "CWE-78"
              }
            ],
            "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
            "type": "Secondary"
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    "redhat_vex": {
      "current_release_date": "2026-06-28T07:22:43+00:00",
      "cve": "CVE-2026-26331",
      "id": "CVE-2026-26331",
      "initial_release_date": "2026-02-24T02:23:40.858000+00:00",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "1",
      "source": "Red Hat CSAF VEX",
      "status": "final",
      "title": "yt-dlp: yt-dlp: Arbitrary command injection via maliciously crafted URL when --netrc-cmd is used",
      "url": "https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-26331.json",
      "version": "3"
    },
    "vulnrichment": {
      "containers": {
        "adp": [
          {
            "metrics": [
              {
                "other": {
                  "content": {
                    "id": "CVE-2026-26331",
                    "options": [
                      {
                        "Exploitation": "none"
                      },
                      {
                        "Automatable": "no"
                      },
                      {
                        "Technical Impact": "total"
                      }
                    ],
                    "role": "CISA Coordinator",
                    "timestamp": "2026-02-24T20:08:27.991642Z",
                    "version": "2.0.3"
                  },
                  "type": "ssvc"
                }
              }
            ],
            "providerMetadata": {
              "dateUpdated": "2026-02-24T20:08:37.464Z",
              "orgId": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
              "shortName": "CISA-ADP"
            },
            "title": "CISA ADP Vulnrichment"
          }
        ],
        "cna": {
          "affected": [
            {
              "product": "yt-dlp",
              "vendor": "yt-dlp",
              "versions": [
                {
                  "status": "affected",
                  "version": "\u003e= 2023.06.21, \u003c 2026.02.21"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "lang": "en",
              "value": "yt-dlp is a command-line audio/video downloader. Starting in version 2023.06.21 and prior to version 2026.02.21, when yt-dlp\u0027s `--netrc-cmd` command-line option (or `netrc_cmd` Python API parameter) is used, an attacker could achieve arbitrary command injection on the user\u0027s system with a maliciously crafted URL. yt-dlp maintainers assume the impact of this vulnerability to be high for anyone who uses `--netrc-cmd` in their command/configuration or `netrc_cmd` in their Python scripts. Even though the maliciously crafted URL itself will look very suspicious to many users, it would be trivial for a maliciously crafted webpage with an inconspicuous URL to covertly exploit this vulnerability via HTTP redirect. Users without `--netrc-cmd` in their arguments or `netrc_cmd` in their scripts are unaffected. No evidence has been found of this exploit being used in the wild. yt-dlp version 2026.02.21 fixes this issue by validating all netrc \"machine\" values and raising an error upon unexpected input. As a workaround, users who are unable to upgrade should avoid using the `--netrc-cmd` command-line option (or `netrc_cmd` Python API parameter), or they should at least not pass a placeholder (`{}`) in their `--netrc-cmd` argument."
            }
          ],
          "metrics": [
            {
              "cvssV3_1": {
                "attackComplexity": "LOW",
                "attackVector": "NETWORK",
                "availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
                "baseScore": 8.8,
                "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
                "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
                "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
                "privilegesRequired": "NONE",
                "scope": "UNCHANGED",
                "userInteraction": "REQUIRED",
                "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
                "version": "3.1"
              }
            }
          ],
          "problemTypes": [
            {
              "descriptions": [
                {
                  "cweId": "CWE-78",
                  "description": "CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command (\u0027OS Command Injection\u0027)",
                  "lang": "en",
                  "type": "CWE"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "providerMetadata": {
            "dateUpdated": "2026-02-24T02:23:40.858Z",
            "orgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
            "shortName": "GitHub_M"
          },
          "references": [
            {
              "name": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-g3gw-q23r-pgqm",
              "tags": [
                "x_refsource_CONFIRM"
              ],
              "url": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-g3gw-q23r-pgqm"
            },
            {
              "name": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/1fbbe29b99dc61375bf6d786f824d9fcf6ea9c1a",
              "tags": [
                "x_refsource_MISC"
              ],
              "url": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/1fbbe29b99dc61375bf6d786f824d9fcf6ea9c1a"
            },
            {
              "name": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.02.21",
              "tags": [
                "x_refsource_MISC"
              ],
              "url": "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.02.21"
            }
          ],
          "source": {
            "advisory": "GHSA-g3gw-q23r-pgqm",
            "discovery": "UNKNOWN"
          },
          "title": "yt-dlp: Arbitrary Command Injection when using the `--netrc-cmd` option"
        }
      },
      "cveMetadata": {
        "assignerOrgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
        "assignerShortName": "GitHub_M",
        "cveId": "CVE-2026-26331",
        "datePublished": "2026-02-24T02:23:40.858Z",
        "dateReserved": "2026-02-13T16:27:51.810Z",
        "dateUpdated": "2026-02-24T20:08:47.720Z",
        "state": "PUBLISHED"
      },
      "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
      "dataVersion": "5.2"
    }
  }
}



Log in or create an account to share your comment.




Tags
Taxonomy of the tags.





Forecast uses a logistic model when the trend is rising, or an exponential decay model when the trend is falling. Fitted via linearized least squares.

Sightings

Author Source Type Date Other

Nomenclature

  • Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
  • Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
  • Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
  • Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
  • Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.


Detection rules are retrieved from Rulezet.


Related by attack behaviour

Vulnerabilities whose description is nearest to this one in the vector space of the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-biencoder model. This is a similarity search over the bi-encoder space (plain cosine), not a classification, and it has no measured accuracy.