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CVE-2025-54072: Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in yt-dlp

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Overview

The present document provides an in-depth analysis of the vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-54072, a serious flaw in the yt-dlp, a command-line audio/video downloader, that could potentially allow remote code execution. This issue affects users of yt-dlp versions 2025.06.25 and below running on Windows, posing a significant risk for system compromise and data leakage.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-54072
Severity: High (7.5 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise and potential data leakage

Affected Products

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Product | Affected Versions

yt-dlp | 2025.06.25 and below

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability resides in the –exec option of yt-dlp, which, when used on Windows with the default placeholder (or {}), applies inadequate sanitization to the expanded file path. This insufficiency allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely. This flaw effectively bypasses the mitigation for CVE-2024-22423 where the default placeholder and {} were not covered by the new escaping rules.

Conceptual Example Code

Here’s a
conceptual
example of how the vulnerability might be exploited using a shell command:

yt-dlp --exec "malicious_command" "http://vulnerable.video.url"

In this example, “malicious_command” represents the attacker’s arbitrary command that would be executed due to the vulnerability. The “http://vulnerable.video.url” is the target video URL to be downloaded.

Mitigation Guidance

It is recommended to apply the vendor patch by upgrading to yt-dlp version 2025.07.21 where this vulnerability is fixed. For users who are unable to upgrade, they should avoid using the –exec option. Alternative options like –write-info-json or –dump-json could be used, with an external script or command line consuming the JSON output. As a temporary mitigation, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used.

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Disclaimer:

The information and code presented in this article are provided for educational and defensive cybersecurity purposes only. Any conceptual or pseudocode examples are simplified representations intended to raise awareness and promote secure development and system configuration practices.

Do not use this information to attempt unauthorized access or exploit vulnerabilities on systems that you do not own or have explicit permission to test.

Ameeba and its authors do not endorse or condone malicious behavior and are not responsible for misuse of the content. Always follow ethical hacking guidelines, responsible disclosure practices, and local laws.

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