7.8

CVSS Score

3.1

-

CVSS Score

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CVE-2024-38519

CVE-2024-38519: yt-dlp File system modification and RCE through improper file-extension sanitization

Summary

yt-dlp does not limit the extensions of downloaded files, which could lead to arbitrary filenames being created in the download folder (and path traversal on Windows). Since yt-dlp also reads config from the working directory (and on Windows executables will be executed from the yt-dlp directory) this could lead to arbitrary code being executed.

Patches

yt-dlp version 2024.07.01 fixes this issue by whitelisting the allowed extensions. This means some very uncommon extensions might not get downloaded; however, it will also limit the possible exploitation surface.

Workarounds

It is recommended to upgrade yt-dlp to version 2024.07.01 as soon as possible, always have .%(ext)s at the end of the output template, and make sure you trust the websites that you are downloading from. Also, make sure to never download to a directory within PATH or other sensitive locations like your user directory, system32, or other binaries locations.

For users not able to upgrade:

Make sure the extension of the media to download is a common video/audio/sub/... one
Try to avoid the generic extractor (--ies default,-generic)
Keep the default output template (-o "%(title)s [%(id)s].%(ext)s)
Omit any of the subtitle options (--write-subs, --write-auto-subs, --all-subs, --write-srt)
Use --ignore-config --config-location ... to not load config from common locations

Details

One potential exploitation might look like this:

From a mimetype we do not know, we default to trimming the leading bit and using the remainder. Given a webpage that contains

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "VideoObject",
    "name": "ffmpeg",
    "encodingFormat": "video/exe",
    "contentUrl": "https://example.com/video.mp4"
}
</script>

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CVE-2024-38519

CVE-2024-38519:

7.8

CVSS Score

3.1

-

CVSS Score

Basic Information

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Technical Details

Package Name	Ecosystem	Vulnerable Versions	First Patched Version
yt-dlp	pip	< 2024.07.01	2024.07.01

Technical Details

Vulnerability Intelligence
Miggo AI

Root Cause Analysis

The vulnerability stemmed from improper extension validation in filename construction. The commit introduced _UnsafeExtensionError and modified extension handling functions to enforce a whitelist. The prepend_extension and replace_extension functions were directly responsible for unsafe extension propagation prior to validation. The _prepare_filename and process_info methods in YoutubeDL.py utilized these vulnerable functions during download processing. The patch adds validation decorators and sanitization logic to these critical path functions, confirming their role in the vulnerability.

Vulnerable functions

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WAF Protection Rules

WAF Rule

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Reasoning

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7.8

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Basic Information

Basic Information

Concerned about an active attack path?

CVE-2024-38519: yt-dlp File system modification and RCE through improper file-extension sanitization

Summary

Patches

Workarounds

Details

CVE-2024-38519:

7.8

-

Basic Information

Basic Information

Is this CVE running in your environment?

Technical Details

Technical Details

Vulnerability IntelligenceMiggo AI

Root Cause Analysis

Vulnerable functions

Vulnerability IntelligenceMiggo AI

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WAF Protection Rules

WAF Rule

Reasoning

Basic Information

Basic Information

7.8

7.8

Vulnerability IntelligenceMiggo AI

Root Cause Analysis

Vulnerable functions

CVE-2024-38519: yt-dlp File system modification and RCE through improper file-extension sanitization

Summary

Patches

Workarounds

Details

Acknowledgement

References

Technical Details

Vulnerability Intelligence
Miggo AI

Vulnerability Intelligence
Miggo AI

Vulnerability Intelligence
Miggo AI