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Bentley ViewApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-34938

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 JT files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-14995.

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 confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow in Bentley View's JT file parser. The vulnerability results from insufficient validation of user-supplied data length before copying to a heap buffer, allowing remote code execution in the context of the current process when a user opens a malicious JT file.

MitigationAvoid opening untrusted JT files from unverified sources. Apply vendor security patches when released. Implement file type validation and consider sandboxing for file parsing operations.

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. Verify Bentley software is installed
    Check for Bentley View or Microstation installation by searching program files directories or using system inventory tools for 'Bentley' or 'MicroStation' executables
    Affected if Either Bentley View or Microstation is present on the system
  2. Locate the installed version
    Right-click the application executable (typically BentleyView.exe or MicroStation.exe), select Properties, and check the Details tab for the File Version, or run 'BentleyView.exe -version' if supported
    Affected if Version information cannot be retrieved or shows a version number
  3. Compare version against threshold
    Compare the installed version to 10.16.02 using semantic version comparison (major.minor.build)
    Affected if Installed version is lower than 10.16.02 in any component (e.g., 10.16.01, 10.15.x, or earlier)
  4. Confirm JT file parsing capability
    Verify that the software can process JT files by checking file association settings or attempting to open a known JT file with the installed application
    Affected if JT files are associated with or can be opened by the vulnerable application

A user is affected if Bentley View or Microstation is installed with a version number lower than 10.16.02 and the application can open JT files.

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

Avoid opening untrusted JT files from unverified sources. Apply vendor security patches when released. Implement file type validation and consider sandboxing for file parsing operations.

Recommended fix High confidence

Bentley View 10.16.02 or later / Microstation 10.16.02 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current version of Bentley View or MicroStation installed by opening the application and navigating to Help > About, or by checking the program's file properties
  2. 2. If the installed version is earlier than 10.16.02, navigate to the official Bentley Systems website (www.bentley.com) and locate the downloads section for your product
  3. 3. Download version 10.16.02 or later of the affected product (Bentley View or MicroStation)
  4. 4. Ensure all users close the application before initiating the upgrade
  5. 5. Run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
  6. 6. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the upgrade
  7. 7. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About to confirm 10.16.02 or later is installed
  8. 8. Test critical JT file workflows to ensure normal operation after the upgrade
Caveat Review release notes for any changes to file format support or workflow compatibility before deploying in production environments

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
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2021-34938 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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