CVE-2026-93371 in yt-dlp-web-ui
Summary
by MITRE • 09/18/2026
A security vulnerability has been detected in marcopiovanello yt-dlp-web-ui up to v4. This issue affects the function NewGenericDownload of the file server/internal/downloaders/generic.go. Such manipulation of the argument params leads to command injection. It is possible to launch the attack remotely. The exploit has been disclosed publicly and may be used. The name of the patch is c7ad3bd79c7c520a7d17e7f2ba19d962be8e7897. A patch should be applied to remediate this issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2026
The vulnerability identified in marcopiovanello yt-dlp-web-ui versions up to v4 represents a critical server-side command injection flaw located within the NewGenericDownload function found in the file server/internal/downloaders/generic.go. This security defect arises from improper neutralization of special elements used in an operating system command, commonly classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command. The root cause lies in the application's failure to adequately sanitize or validate user-supplied input parameters before passing them to underlying shell commands for processing video downloads. By manipulating the params argument, an attacker can inject arbitrary operating system commands that are executed with the privileges of the yt-dlp-web-ui process, effectively bypassing intended security controls and allowing unauthorized execution of system-level operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its remote exploitability. Since the affected function handles download requests which typically originate from user interactions via a web interface or API, an attacker can initiate malicious payloads remotely without requiring prior authentication in some configurations, or by exploiting authenticated sessions if access controls are weak. The public disclosure of exploits means that automated scanning tools and threat actors actively seeking to compromise instances of this software can leverage known techniques to gain control over the host system. This could lead to a complete compromise of the server hosting the application, including data exfiltration, installation of backdoors, or use of the compromised machine as part of a botnet for further attacks against other systems on the network.
From an offensive security perspective, this vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter, specifically sub-techniques related to shell commands such as sh or bash depending on the underlying operating system environment. The ability to execute arbitrary commands remotely places this flaw in a high-severity category within most risk scoring frameworks like CVSS due to its potential for full system compromise. Organizations relying on yt-dlp-web-ui for media management must recognize that unpatched instances are actively targeted and pose an immediate threat to infrastructure integrity.
To remediate this issue, it is imperative to apply the patch identified by commit hash c7ad3bd79c7c520a7d17e7f2ba19d962be8e7897 as soon as possible. This update addresses the input validation logic within the NewGenericDownload function, ensuring that special characters and command separators are properly escaped or rejected before being passed to the operating system shell. In addition to applying the patch, administrators should implement defense-in-depth strategies such as running the application with minimal required privileges using a dedicated non-root user account, restricting network access to trusted sources via firewall rules, and monitoring logs for unusual command execution patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. Regularly updating dependencies and conducting code reviews focusing on input sanitization are also recommended practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future iterations.