CVE-2026-71212: xidown: Argument Injection via Unterminated yt-dlp Command Line Construction

Published Aug 5, 2026
·
Updated

xidown (a yt-dlp/ffmpeg GUI wrapper) builds its yt-dlp command-line invocation (xidown/core/scanner.py and downloader.py) by appending the user-provided or scanned URL as a bare trailing positional argument, with no '--' end-of-options marker and no scheme validation anywhere in the codebase. Because yt-dlp parses any argument beginning with '-' as a CLI option rather than link text, a crafted 'URL' value such as -U (yt-dlp's self-update flag) or --exec=... is parsed as a real yt-dlp option instead of a URL, altering the tool's control flow before its own URL validation runs. Full code execution via --exec was not demonstrated in the single-URL flow tested, but the underlying argument-injection primitive is confirmed and unmitigated across all call sites.

Affected Software

1 affected component
yt-dlp

Event History

Aug 5, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·06:59 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·06:59 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-71212?

CVE-2026-71212 has a medium severity score of 4.4.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-71212?

To mitigate CVE-2026-71212, ensure that user inputs are properly validated and sanitize command-line arguments before constructing the yt-dlp invocation.

3

What software is affected by CVE-2026-71212?

CVE-2026-71212 affects the xidown application, which is a GUI wrapper for yt-dlp.

4

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-71212?

CVE-2026-71212 is classified as an argument injection vulnerability.

5

What are the potential consequences of CVE-2026-71212?

Exploitation of CVE-2026-71212 may allow attackers to execute arbitrary commands via the yt-dlp command line.

Contact

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