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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2026-26331

yt-dlp is a command-line audio/video downloader.

Published Feb 24, 2026 · catalog updated Jun 17, 2026 · yt-dlp project

Check if you run it

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-26331. EPSS is 2.06%. Act only if a listed version of yt-dlp project is installed.

Gaps on this record

  • No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
  • No vendor fix or required action is stored. Compare the linked advisory before you change production.
Severity
High8.8
Known exploitation
Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
2.06%
Remediation
Advisory link
Affected products
cpe yt-dlp project/yt-dlp

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 command-line option (or 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 in their command/configuration or 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 in their arguments or 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 command-line option (or Python API parameter), or they should at least not pass a placeholder ( ) in their argument.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe yt-dlp project/yt-dlpversion unspecified

How to fix CVE-2026-26331

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-26331. EPSS is 2.06%. Act only if a listed version of yt-dlp project is installed.

Which versions are affected?

Affected version ranges are not on this record. Compare the installed version with the linked vendor advisory before you change production.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-78: OS Command Injection. EPSS 2.06%. There is no CISA KEV listing. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Feb 24, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Detected

    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 command-line option (or 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 in their command/conf

  2. Jun 17, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Updated

    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 command-line option (or 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 in their command/conf

Sources

  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2026-26331

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2026-26331

    30-day exploitation probability 2.1%

    first.org
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2026-26331

    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 command-line option (or Python API parameter) is used, an attacker could achieve arbitrary command injection on the user's syst

    nvd.nist.gov

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 18, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.