yt-dlp has dependency on potentially malicious third-party code in Douyu extractors
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from GitHub.
Summary
### Impact yt-dlp's DouyuTV and DouyuShow extractors used a `cdn.bootcdn.net` URL as a fallback for fetching a component of the crypto-js JavaScript library. When the Douyu extractor is used, yt-dlp extracts this JavaScript code and attempts to execute it externally using [PhantomJS](https://github.com/ariya/phantomjs). `bootcdn.net` is owned by the bad actor responsible for the [Polyfill JS supply chain attack](https://sansec.io/research/polyfill-supply-chain-attack) that has been ongoing since at least June 2023. While there is no evidence that PhantomJS has been targeted by or is vulnerable to any attacks carried out by the Polyfill JS actor, there is the possibility that malicious JavaScript code may have been downloaded/cached by yt-dlp or executed by PhantomJS. In order for this potential vulnerability to be exploited by any hypothetical attack, all 3 of the following conditions must be met: 1. The user has PhantomJS installed on their system. 2. The user passes a `douyu.com` or `douyutv.com` URL to yt-dlp as input, or passes a URL that redirects to one of these domains. 3. `cdnjs.cloudflare.com` is unavailable or blocked at the time of extraction, necessitating the usage of the `cdn.bootcdn.net` fallback; or it had been unavailable during a previous run of the Douyu extractor and JavaScript code from `cdn.bootcdn.net` had been cached to disk. ### Patches yt-dlp version 2024.07.07 fixes this issue by removing the URL pointing to the malicious CDN and by invalidating any Douyu extractor cache data created by unpatched versions of yt-dlp. ### Workarounds It is recommended to upgrade yt-dlp to version 2024.07.07 as soon as possible. For users not able to upgrade: - Avoid using the Douyu extractors (`--ies default,-douyutv,-douyushow`) - Uninstall (or do not install) PhantomJS ### Acknowledgement Thanks to @LeSuisse for [reporting this](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/pull/10347) promptly after `bootcdn.net` was discovered to be under control of the same bad actor behind the `polyfill.io` supply chain attack. ### References - https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/commit/6075a029dba70a89675ae1250e7cdfd91f0eba41 - https://sansec.io/research/polyfill-supply-chain-attack
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | yt-dlp (PyPI) | 2023.09.24 to before 2024.07.07 | 2024.07.07 | Patch available | GHSA-3v33-3wmw-3785 |
- yt-dlp (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2023.09.24 to before 2024.07.07 Fixed in 2024.07.07 Patch available GHSA-3v33-3wmw-3785
Remediation
- Fix · GHSA-3v33-3wmw-3785 yt-dlp (PyPI) Fixed in 2024.07.07 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-03 Threatist record created from GHSA-3v33-3wmw-3785
References
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences