{"id":"CVE-2023-40581","state":"PUBLISHED","title":"yt-dlp command injection when using `%q` in `--exec` on Windows","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.\n","publishedAt":"2023-09-25T18:54:00.204Z","updatedAt":"2024-09-24T14:48:55.952Z","severity":{"score":8.4,"label":"High","version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H","source":"GitHub_M"},"assigner":"GitHub_M","products":["yt-dlp yt-dlp"],"affected":[{"vendor":"yt-dlp","product":"yt-dlp","versions":[{"version":">= 2021.04.11, < 2023.09.24","status":"affected"},{"version":"< nightly 2023.09.24.003044","status":"affected"}]}],"references":["https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-42h4-v29r-42qg","https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/de015e930747165dbb8fcd360f8775fd973b7d6e","https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp-nightly-builds/releases/tag/2023.09.24.003044","https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2021.04.11","https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2023.09.24"],"weaknesses":["CWE-78"],"ingestedAt":"2026-10-29T20:06:17.512Z","source":{"repository":"CVEProject/cvelistV5","path":"cves/2023/40xxx/CVE-2023-40581.json","commit":"556c9d3a8cd17e218bb8e452ba7cd619a384ff47"},"raw":{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.1","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2023-40581","state":"PUBLISHED","datePublished":"2023-09-25T18:54:00.204Z","dateUpdated":"2024-09-24T14:48:55.952Z","assignerShortName":"GitHub_M","assignerOrgId":"a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa","dateReserved":"2023-08-16T18:24:02.391Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"title":"yt-dlp command injection when using `%q` in `--exec` on Windows","descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"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.\n"}],"affected":[{"vendor":"yt-dlp","product":"yt-dlp","versions":[{"version":">= 2021.04.11, < 2023.09.24","status":"affected"},{"version":"< nightly 2023.09.24.003044","status":"affected"}]}],"references":[{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-42h4-v29r-42qg","name":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-42h4-v29r-42qg","tags":["x_refsource_CONFIRM"]},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/de015e930747165dbb8fcd360f8775fd973b7d6e","name":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/de015e930747165dbb8fcd360f8775fd973b7d6e","tags":["x_refsource_MISC"]},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp-nightly-builds/releases/tag/2023.09.24.003044","name":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp-nightly-builds/releases/tag/2023.09.24.003044","tags":["x_refsource_MISC"]},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2021.04.11","name":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2021.04.11","tags":["x_refsource_MISC"]},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2023.09.24","name":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2023.09.24","tags":["x_refsource_MISC"]}],"metrics":[{"cvssV3_1":{"attackComplexity":"HIGH","attackVector":"NETWORK","availabilityImpact":"HIGH","baseScore":8.4,"baseSeverity":"HIGH","confidentialityImpact":"HIGH","integrityImpact":"HIGH","privilegesRequired":"NONE","scope":"CHANGED","userInteraction":"REQUIRED","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H","version":"3.1"}}],"problemTypes":[{"descriptions":[{"cweId":"CWE-78","lang":"en","description":"CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')","type":"CWE"}]}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"GitHub_M","orgId":"a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa","dateUpdated":"2023-09-25T18:54:00.204Z"},"source":{"advisory":"GHSA-42h4-v29r-42qg","discovery":"UNKNOWN"}},"adp":[{"title":"CVE Program Container","references":[{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-42h4-v29r-42qg","name":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/security/advisories/GHSA-42h4-v29r-42qg","tags":["x_refsource_CONFIRM","x_transferred"]},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/de015e930747165dbb8fcd360f8775fd973b7d6e","name":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/de015e930747165dbb8fcd360f8775fd973b7d6e","tags":["x_refsource_MISC","x_transferred"]},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp-nightly-builds/releases/tag/2023.09.24.003044","name":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp-nightly-builds/releases/tag/2023.09.24.003044","tags":["x_refsource_MISC","x_transferred"]},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2021.04.11","name":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2021.04.11","tags":["x_refsource_MISC","x_transferred"]},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2023.09.24","name":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2023.09.24","tags":["x_refsource_MISC","x_transferred"]}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"CVE","orgId":"af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108","dateUpdated":"2024-08-02T18:38:50.806Z"}},{"title":"CISA ADP Vulnrichment","affected":[{"vendor":"yt-dlp_project","product":"yt-dlp","defaultStatus":"unknown","versions":[{"version":"2021.04.11","status":"affected","lessThan":"2023.09.24","versionType":"custom"},{"version":"0","status":"affected","lessThan":"nightly 2023.09.24.003044","versionType":"custom"}],"cpes":["cpe:2.3:a:yt-dlp_project:yt-dlp:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*"]}],"metrics":[{"other":{"type":"ssvc","content":{"timestamp":"2024-09-24T14:45:30.642943Z","id":"CVE-2023-40581","options":[{"Exploitation":"none"},{"Automatable":"no"},{"Technical Impact":"total"}],"role":"CISA Coordinator","version":"2.0.3"}}}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"CISA-ADP","orgId":"134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0","dateUpdated":"2024-09-24T14:48:55.952Z"}}]}}}