# CVE-2026-50023: yt-dlp: yt-dlp is a command-line audio/video downloader

CVE-2026-50023 is fixed in yt-dlp on 1 platform, first by DEBIAN-CVE-2026-50023, released June 24, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: Urgent.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-50023
- Priority: Urgent
- CVSS: 9.6 (critical)
- EPSS: 0.0067
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: Jun 23, 2026

## Description

yt-dlp is a command-line audio/video downloader. Prior to 2026.06.09, a vulnerability exists in yt-dlp that allows a remote attacker to write arbitrary OS-shortcut files (such as .desktop, .url, .webloc) to the user's filesystem, bypassing the remediation for CVE-2024-38519. The allowlist explicitly included the unsafe extensions .desktop, .url, and .webloc so that the functionality of the --write-link option (and its variants) could be preserved. These allowlist inclusions can be exploited by an attacker to write malicious OS-shortcut files in the context of a media or subtitles download. This vulnerability is fixed in 2026.06.09.

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | yt-dlp Debian 14 | 2026.06.09-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2026-50023](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2026-50023.md) | Jun 24, 2026 |
| Linux | yt-dlp opensuse-leap 16.0 | 2026.06.09-bp160.1.1 | [OPENSUSE-SU-2026:21163-1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/opensuse-su-2026-21163-1.md) | Jun 29, 2026 |

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Data as of 2026-11-09T01:18:40Z UTC. Source: Patchblox Patch Radar (https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar). Patchblox finds out-of-date software on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates it through release rings: https://patchblox.com/demo

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