{
  "threat_severity" : "Important",
  "public_date" : "2026-02-24T02:23:40Z",
  "bugzilla" : {
    "description" : "yt-dlp: yt-dlp: Arbitrary command injection via maliciously crafted URL when --netrc-cmd is used",
    "id" : "2442143",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2442143"
  },
  "cvss3" : {
    "cvss3_base_score" : "8.8",
    "cvss3_scoring_vector" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
    "status" : "draft"
  },
  "cwe" : "CWE-78",
  "details" : [ "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.", "A flaw was found in yt-dlp, a command-line audio/video downloader. When the `--netrc-cmd` command-line option is enabled, a remote attacker can exploit a maliciously crafted URL to achieve arbitrary command injection. This allows the attacker to execute unauthorized commands on the user's system, potentially leading to a complete compromise. This vulnerability primarily affects users who utilize the `--netrc-cmd` feature." ],
  "statement" : "This is an IMPORTANT arbitrary command injection flaw in yt-dlp. The vulnerability occurs when the `--netrc-cmd` command-line option or `netrc_cmd` Python API parameter is actively used. Systems where this specific feature is not enabled or utilized are not affected by this issue.",
  "references" : [ "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-26331\nhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-26331\nhttps://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/1fbbe29b99dc61375bf6d786f824d9fcf6ea9c1a\nhttps://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.02.21\nhttps://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-g3gw-q23r-pgqm" ],
  "name" : "CVE-2026-26331",
  "mitigation" : {
    "value" : "To mitigate this issue, avoid using the `--netrc-cmd` command-line option or the `netrc_cmd` Python API parameter. If the `--netrc-cmd` option is essential for your workflow, ensure that a placeholder (`{}`) is not passed in the argument. Disabling this feature may impact workflows that rely on custom netrc command execution.",
    "lang" : "en:us"
  },
  "csaw" : false
}