dbcve.org
MicrostationApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-46578

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-18
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 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 JT 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-15372.

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

A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT when parsing JT (Jupiter Tessellation) files. The parser fails to validate the existence of an object before performing operations on it, leading to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process when a user opens a specially crafted malicious JT file.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch or update Bentley MicroStation CONNECT to a version that addresses this vulnerability. Until patched, users should not open untrusted JT files from unknown sources.

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
MicrostationApplication
Affected:< 10.16.02
Microstation ConnectApplication
Affected:<= 10.16.0.80
ViewApplication
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 product
    Check the installed software list or application directory for Bentley MicroStation CONNECT, Bentley MicroStation, or Bentley View
    Affected if Any of these three products is installed
  2. Determine the exact version number
    Open the Bentley application, then access Help > About or check the program's properties in Add/Remove Programs to locate the version number
    Affected if Version cannot be determined or is lower than the fixed releases
  3. Compare version to affected ranges for MicroStation
    If using Bentley MicroStation (non-Connect variant), verify if version is below 10.16.02
    Affected if Version is 10.16.01 or lower
  4. Compare version to affected ranges for MicroStation Connect
    If using Bentley MicroStation Connect, verify if version is 10.16.0.80 or lower
    Affected if Version is 10.16.0.80 or any lower release
  5. Compare version to affected ranges for Bentley View
    If using Bentley View, verify if version is below 10.16.02
    Affected if Version is 10.16.01 or lower

If any of these Bentley products are installed and the version falls within the affected ranges (MicroStation < 10.16.02, MicroStation Connect <= 10.16.0.80, or View < 10.16.02), the environment is vulnerable to this CVE when opening 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

Apply the vendor-supplied patch or update Bentley MicroStation CONNECT to a version that addresses this vulnerability. Until patched, users should not open untrusted JT files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

MicroStation 10.16.02 / MicroStation Connect 10.16.0.80+

  1. Upgrade MicroStation to version 10.16.02 or later
  2. Upgrade MicroStation Connect to version 10.16.0.80 or later (recommended 10.16.02 or later)
  3. Upgrade MicroStation View to version 10.16.02 or later
  4. Ensure users do not open untrusted JT files from unknown sources until the update is applied

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

Fix this in Microstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

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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-2021-46578 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