CVE-2024-38519

yt-dlp: `yt-dlp` and `youtube-dl` are command-line audio/video downloaders

CVE-2024-38519 is fixed in yt-dlp on 1 platform, first by DEBIAN-CVE-2024-38519, released July 2, 2024. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.

High
CVSS
7.8
high
Exploitation
None reported
No vendor assessment
CISA KEV
Not listed
Not in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
EPSS
0.0033
25th percentile

`yt-dlp` and `youtube-dl` are command-line audio/video downloaders. Prior to the fixed versions, `yt-dlp` and `youtube-dl` do not limit the extensions of downloaded files, which could lead to arbitrary filenames being created in the download folder (and path traversal on Windows). Since `yt-dlp` and `youtube-dl` also read config from the working directory (and on Windows executables will be executed from the `yt-dlp` or `youtube-dl` directory), this could lead to arbitrary code being executed. `yt-dlp` version 2024.07.01 fixes this issue by whitelisting the allowed extensions. `youtube-dl` fixes this issue in commit `d42a222` on the `master` branch and in nightly builds tagged 2024-07-03 or later. This might mean some very uncommon extensions might not get downloaded, however it will also limit the possible exploitation surface. In addition to upgrading, have `.%(ext)s` at the end of the output template and make sure the user trusts the websites that they are downloading from. Also, make sure to never download to a directory within PATH or other sensitive locations like one's user directory, `system32`, or other binaries locations. For users who are not able to upgrade, keep the default output template (`-o "%(title)s [%(id)s].%(ext)s`); make sure the extension of the media to download is a common video/audio/sub/... one; try to avoid the generic extractor; and/or use `--ignore-config --config-location ...` to not load config from common locations.

Where it's fixed

ProductFixed inFixReleased
Linux
yt-dlp · Debian 13.5 (trixie) 2024.07.01-1 DEBIAN-CVE-2024-38519 Jul 2, 2024
yt-dlp · Debian 14 2024.07.01-1 DEBIAN-CVE-2024-38519 Jul 2, 2024

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