CVE-2026-50574 | yt-dlp: Arbitrary code execution via manifest downloads with aria2c

yt-dlp is a command-line audio/video downloader. Prior to 2026.06.09, if aria2c is used as an external downloader for a fragmented manifest format (such as an HLS/DASH stream), yt-dlp passes insufficiently sanitized input to aria2c that allows an attacker to perform an arbitrary file write. On Windows platforms, this can lead to immediate arbitrary code execution. On non-Windows platforms, this can lead to arbitrary code execution upon the next invocation of yt-dlp. This vulnerability is fixed in 2026.06.09.

Published: 2026-06-23 Last update: 2026-06-26 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2026-50574 is rated Moderate Risk (44.6/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.40%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-50574

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-24 0.05% 0.40% +0.35%
2 2026-06-12 — 0.05% —

Full EPSS history (2 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-50574

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.3 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.6 6.0 [email protected]
9.6 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.8 6.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-50574

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-50574

GHSA-vx4q-3cr2-7cg2 · Severity: high · Ecosystem: pip — yt-dlp: Arbitrary code execution via manifest downloads with aria2c

OS Trackers for CVE-2026-50574

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2026-50574 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (yt-dlp), 4 status rows across 4 suites (bookworm, forky, sid, trixie): open 2, resolved 2. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-50574
ubuntu medium CVE-2026-50574 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (yt-dlp), 5 status rows across 5 suites (jammy, noble, questing, resolute, upstream): needs-triage 5. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-50574

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-50574

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
yt-dlp_project yt-dlp < 2026.06.09 cpe:2.3:a:yt-dlp_project:yt-dlp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2026-50574

cvelogic Threat Intelligence