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MicrostationApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-46581

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. Crafted data in a JT file can trigger a write past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-15375.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT's JT file parser. Crafted malicious JT files can cause a write past the end of an allocated buffer, allowing arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process. User interaction required (opening malicious file).

MitigationAvoid opening untrusted JT files from unknown sources. Apply vendor-provided security patches for MicroStation CONNECT when released. Implement file handling policies to restrict JT file 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 MicroStation version
    Open MicroStation, go to Help > About MicroStation to view the version number, or check Add/Remove Programs for the installed version
    Affected if Version is below 10.16.02 (for MicroStation) or the version displays as 10.16.0.80 or lower (for MicroStation Connect)
  2. Identify installed Bentley View version
    Open Bentley View, go to Help > About Bentley View to view the version number, or check Add/Remove Programs for the installed version
    Affected if Version is below 10.16.02
  3. Verify JT file handling capability is present
    Check if the JT (Jupiter Tessellation) file format parser module is available by attempting to open or import a JT file in the installed Bentley product
    Affected if JT files can be opened or imported by the software, indicating the vulnerable parser is present and active
  4. Confirm process runs with elevated privileges
    Check the account context under which the Bentley application is being run (Task Manager > Details > right-click process > Run as administrator or check user column)
    Affected if The process runs with administrator or higher privileges, meaning any successful exploitation would have broader system access

You are affected if the installed Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or Bentley View version falls within the affected ranges (MicroStation < 10.16.02, Connect <= 10.16.0.80, View < 10.16.02) AND the JT file parser feature is present and usable in your environment.

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 unknown sources. Apply vendor-provided security patches for MicroStation CONNECT when released. Implement file handling policies to restrict JT file sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

MicroStation/View: 10.16.02 or later | MicroStation Connect: 10.16.0.81 or later (or latest 10.16.x release)

  1. 1. Identify the exact MicroStation product and version currently installed (MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or MicroStation View)
  2. 2. For MicroStation: upgrade to version 10.16.02 or later
  3. 3. For MicroStation Connect: upgrade to version 10.16.0.81 or later (or the latest available 10.16.x version)
  4. 4. For MicroStation View: upgrade to version 10.16.02 or later
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the updated version number in the application's About section
  6. 6. Exercise caution when opening JT files from untrusted sources

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

Fix this in Microstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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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-2021-46581 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