CVE-2021-34908
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 · uneditedThis 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 J2K 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-14881.
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 · high confidenceA remote code execution vulnerability exists in Bentley View 10.15.0.75 due to insufficient validation of object existence during J2K file parsing. The parser performs operations on objects without first checking if they are valid, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the current process context via a malicious J2K file.
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< 10.16.02< 10.16.02CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Bentley productCheck installed programs for 'Bentley View' or 'Microstation' - look in Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or examine program directoriesAffected if Either Bentley View or Microstation is installed
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Check installed version numberRight-click the application executable (BentleyView.exe or MicroStation.exe), select Properties, and view the File Version field; alternatively, run 'msiexec /q /i' with the MSI or check Help > About in the applicationAffected if Version is earlier than 10.16.02 (e.g., 10.15.0.75 or any 10.x version below 10.16.02)
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Verify J2K file handling is presentSearch program directories for J2K-related DLLs (such as j2k*.dll, j2k codecs, or raster handlers) or check file association settings for .j2k and .jp2 extensionsAffected if J2K file parsing components are present in the installation
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Check for recent J2K file activityReview Windows Event Viewer for application events involving J2K files, or search user directories for recently opened .j2k/.jp2 files using 'dir /s /tc *.j2k' or 'dir /s /tc *.jp2' from user profile rootsAffected if J2K files have been opened recently, indicating the vulnerable parser is being invoked
User is affected if Bentley View or Microstation version is below 10.16.02 AND the J2K file parsing functionality is present and has been used to open J2K files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped10.16.02
Apply vendor patches when available; until then, avoid opening J2K files from untrusted sources and disable automatic file opening in the application.
10.16.02
- Navigate to the official Bentley website and download Bentley View version 10.16.02 or later
- Alternatively, download Microstation version 10.16.02 or later if that is the affected product
- Install the updated version following Bentley's standard installation procedures
- Restart the application after installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-34908 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-34908 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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