CVE-2023-40581: yt-dlp is a youtube-dl fork with additional features and fixes. yt-dlp allows the user to provide shell command lines to be executed at various stages...

Description

yt-dlp is a youtube-dl fork with additional features and fixes. yt-dlp allows the user to provide shell command lines to be executed at various stages in its download steps through the `--exec` flag. This flag allows output template expansion in its argument, so that metadata values may be used in the shell commands. The metadata fields can be combined with the `%q` conversion, which is intended to quote/escape these values so they can be safely passed to the shell. However, the escaping used for `cmd` (the shell used by Python's `subprocess` on Windows) does not properly escape special characters, which can allow for remote code execution if `--exec` is used directly with maliciously crafted remote data. This vulnerability only impacts `yt-dlp` on Windows, and the vulnerability is present regardless of whether `yt-dlp` is run from `cmd` or from `PowerShell`. Support for output template expansion in `--exec`, along with this vulnerable behavior, was added to `yt-dlp` in version 2021.04.11. yt-dlp version 2023.09.24 fixes this issue by properly escaping each special character. `\n` will be replaced by `\r` as no way of escaping it has been found. It is recommended to upgrade yt-dlp to version 2023.09.24 as soon as possible. Also, always be careful when using --exec, because while this specific vulnerability has been patched, using unvalidated input in shell commands is inherently dangerous. For Windows users who are not able to upgrade: 1. Avoid using any output template expansion in --exec other than {} (filepath). 2. If expansion in --exec is needed, verify the fields you are using do not contain ", | or &. 3. Instead of using --exec, write the info json and load the fields from it instead.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.8/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

1.29%

66.6th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-78

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Yt-Dlp Project	Yt-Dlp	>= 2021.04.11, < 2023.09.24

References

https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp-nightly-builds/releases/tag/2023.09.24.003044Product, Release Notes
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/de015e930747165dbb8fcd360f8775fd973b7d6ePatch
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2021.04.11Product, Release Notes
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2023.09.24Product, Release Notes
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-42h4-v29r-42qgExploit, Mitigation, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp-nightly-builds/releases/tag/2023.09.24.003044Product, Release Notes
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/de015e930747165dbb8fcd360f8775fd973b7d6ePatch
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2021.04.11Product, Release Notes
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2023.09.24Product, Release Notes
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-42h4-v29r-42qgExploit, Mitigation, Patch, Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Sep 25, 2023
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-40581?

yt-dlp is a youtube-dl fork with additional features and fixes. yt-dlp allows the user to provide shell command lines to be executed at various stages in its download steps through the `--exec` flag. This flag allows output template expansion in its argument, so that metadata values may be used in the shell commands. The metadata fields can be combined with the `%q` conversion, which is intended to quote/escape these values so they can be safely passed to the shell. However, the escaping used for `cmd` (the shell used by Python's `subprocess` on Windows) does not properly escape special characters, which can allow for remote code execution if `--exec` is used directly with maliciously crafted remote data. This vulnerability only impacts `yt-dlp` on Windows, and the vulnerability is present regardless of whether `yt-dlp` is run from `cmd` or from `PowerShell`. Support for output template expansion in `--exec`, along with this vulnerable behavior, was added to `yt-dlp` in version 2021.04.11. yt-dlp version 2023.09.24 fixes this issue by properly escaping each special character. `\n` will be replaced by `\r` as no way of escaping it has been found. It is recommended to upgrade yt-dlp to version 2023.09.24 as soon as possible. Also, always be careful when using --exec, because while this specific vulnerability has been patched, using unvalidated input in shell commands is inherently dangerous. For Windows users who are not able to upgrade: 1. Avoid using any output template expansion in --exec other than {} (filepath). 2. If expansion in --exec is needed, verify the fields you are using do not contain ", | or &. 3. Instead of using --exec, write the info json and load the fields from it instead.

How severe is CVE-2023-40581?

CVE-2023-40581 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.29% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-40581?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.