Bentley ViewApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-34872

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.16.02 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Bentley View 10.15.0.75. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of SKP files. The issue results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-14737.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A use-after-free or null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in Bentley View 10.15.0.75 during SKP file parsing. The software fails to validate object existence before performing operations on it, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malicious SKP file opened by the victim.

MitigationDo not open untrusted SKP files. Apply vendor-provided patches when released. Implement network-level filtering to block suspicious file attachments.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Bentley ViewApplication
Affected:< 10.16.02
MicrostationApplication
Affected:< 10.16.02

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Bentley software
    Check program files for Bentley View or Microstation installation directories, or use system inventory tools to list installed software
    Affected if Bentley View or Microstation is present on the system
  2. Determine installed version number
    Open Bentley View or Microstation, go to Help > About, or right-click the executable and select Properties > Details to view the version
    Affected if Version is earlier than 10.16.02 for either product
  3. Verify SKP file handling capability
    Check if the software can open or import SKP files by attempting to open a sample SKP file or reviewing file association settings
    Affected if SKP file handling is enabled or available in the installation
  4. Confirm file parsing exposure
    Review whether users in your environment commonly open or receive SKP files from external sources, or check email gateways/file shares for SKP attachments
    Affected if Users process SKP files from untrusted sources

You are affected if Bentley View or Microstation version is below 10.16.02 and your environment involves opening SKP files, since the vulnerability triggers during SKP file parsing without requiring any specific configuration beyond normal file handling.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 10.16.02 or later
Fixed in 10.16.02
Interim mitigation

Do not open untrusted SKP files. Apply vendor-provided patches when released. Implement network-level filtering to block suspicious file attachments.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

10.16.02

  1. 1. Close any running instances of Bentley View or MicroStation
  2. 2. Navigate to the Bentley product download page or your organization's software distribution system
  3. 3. Download the version 10.16.02 or later installer for your product (Bentley View or MicroStation)
  4. 4. Run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
  5. 5. Follow the on-screen installation wizard prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. 6. Restart the application after installation completes
  7. 7. Verify the installed version by checking Help > About to confirm version 10.16.02 or later is installed
  8. 8. Avoid opening untrusted SKP files from unknown sources to reduce exposure until patched
Caveat Review Bentley's release notes for version 10.16.02 to check for compatibility issues with custom configurations or dependent workflows

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Bentley View Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-34872 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data