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CVE-2026-26331

Yt-dlp command injection

8.8 HIGHPublic exploitEPSS 2.01%
  1. Published24 Feb 2026

Description

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.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork
Attack complexityLow
Privileges requiredNone
User interactionRequired
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected products

Yt-dlp≥ 2023.06.21 < 2026.02.21

Remediation

Fixed in
Yt-dlp≥ 2026.02.21

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Frequently asked

Is CVE-2026-26331 being actively exploited?

CVE-2026-26331 is not in the CISA KEV catalog. A public exploit reference exists, so treat it as exploitable. Its EPSS exploit probability is 2.01%.

How severe is CVE-2026-26331?

CVE-2026-26331 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8, rated high. EPSS estimates a 2.01% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2026-26331?

Affected products include Yt-dlp.

How do I fix CVE-2026-26331?

Upgrade affected software to a fixed version, for example Yt-dlp 2026.02.21 or later, then confirm no affected versions remain in your inventory.

How Secuno handles this

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Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.