RCE in Yt-Dlp
CVE-2025-54072
yt-dlp is a feature-rich command-line audio/video downloader. In versions 2025.06.25 and below, when the --exec option is used on Windows with the default placeholder (or {}), insufficient sanitization is applied to the expanded filepath, allowing for remote code execution. This is a bypass of the mitigation for CVE-2024-22423 where the default placeholder and {} were not covered by the new escaping rules. Windows users who are unable to upgrade should avoid using --exec altogether. Instead, the --write-info-json or --dump-json options could be used, with an external script or command line consuming the JSON output. This is fixed in version 2025.07.21.
Vulnerability class: Command Injection (OS Command Injection)
EPSS: 0.006 (44.2th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Affected products
- Yt-dlp — versions < 2025.07.21
- Yt-dlp_project Yt-dlp
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Vendor Advisory)
- security-advisories@github.com (Patch, x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC, Release Notes)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2025-54072?
- CVE-2025-54072 is a high-severity vulnerability in Yt-Dlp, classified under OS Command Injection. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2025-07-22.
- How severe is CVE-2025-54072?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2025-54072 known to be exploited?
- 1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.