CVE-2021-46575
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 MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80. 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 DGN 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-15369.
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 confidenceThis is a remote code execution vulnerability in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT version 10.16.0.80. The flaw exists in the DGN file parsing logic where the code fails to validate that an object exists before performing operations on it, likely leading to a null pointer dereference that can be leveraged for code execution in the context of the current process. User interaction is required (opening a malicious DGN 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= 10.16.0.80< 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 software productOpen the application and navigate to Help > About, or check the installed programs list in Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, to identify the exact product name (MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or Bentley View)Affected if The product is Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or Bentley View
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Determine the installed software versionIn the About window, locate the version number displayed (format like 10.16.0.80 or 10.16.02.x). Record this full version string.Affected if The version is 10.16.0.80 for MicroStation Connect, or less than 10.16.02 for MicroStation or Bentley View
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Verify DGN file handling capabilityConfirm the software has the ability to open or import DGN files, which is a core function of MicroStation. This is typically enabled by default for standard installations.Affected if The software can open DGN files (this is the default state for standard installations)
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
Avoid opening untrusted or unverified DGN files from unknown sources. Apply vendor-provided security patches for Bentley MicroStation CONNECT when released. Consider implementing additional file validation at the application boundary.
MicroStation 10.16.02 or later / MicroStation Connect 10.16.0.80 should upgrade to 10.16.02 or later
- 1. Identify the current MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or MicroStation View version installed in your environment
- 2. Download MicroStation version 10.16.02 or later from the official Bentley website or your Bentley product subscription portal
- 3. Uninstall the current version or apply the upgrade following Bentley's standard upgrade procedures
- 4. Verify the installed version is 10.16.02 or higher after upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-46575 — 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-2021-46575 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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