dbcve.org
MicrostationApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-46591

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 read 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-15385.

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

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 when parsing JT (Jupiter Tessellation) files. Crafted malicious JT files can trigger a read operation past the end of an allocated buffer, allowing an attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user process. Exploitation requires user interaction either by visiting a malicious webpage or opening a malicious JT file.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch or update to a patched version of Bentley MicroStation CONNECT. Until patched, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted JT files from unknown or untrusted 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 Windows Programs and Features list, or locate the Bentley application executable (such as MicroStation.exe, BentleyView.exe, or related binaries) in the program files directory
    Affected if The product is Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation CONNECT, or Bentley View
  2. Check product version number
    Right-click the application executable, select Properties, then view the Details tab to see the File Version, or run the application and check Help > About for the exact version string
    Affected if Version is 10.16.0.80 for MicroStation CONNECT, or < 10.16.02 for MicroStation or Bentley View
  3. Confirm JT file handling capability
    Verify the installation includes JT (Jupiter Tessellation) file parsing capabilities by attempting to open a .jt file or checking file associations for .jt extensions in the Windows registry under HKCR\.jt
    Affected if The .jt file extension is associated with the installed Bentley application, indicating JT parsing is enabled by default
  4. Verify vulnerable version against affected ranges
    Compare the identified version to the affected ranges: MicroStation CONNECT = 10.16.0.80, MicroStation < 10.16.02, Bentley View < 10.16.02
    Affected if The installed version matches or falls within the affected version ranges

The environment is affected if Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation CONNECT, or Bentley View is installed with a version matching 10.16.0.80 (Connect) or less than 10.16.02 (MicroStation/View), and the application can parse JT files (which is default behavior).

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 to a patched version of Bentley MicroStation CONNECT. Until patched, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted JT files from unknown or untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

MicroStation 10.16.02 or later / MicroStation Connect latest version

  1. 1. Close any running instances of MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or MicroStation View
  2. 2. Download the latest version of MicroStation from the official Bentley website or through your Bentley product subscription
  3. 3. Install MicroStation version 10.16.02 or higher (or the latest available version)
  4. 4. Verify the installation by checking Help > About MicroStation to confirm the version number
  5. 5. Re-test any workflows involving JT file parsing to ensure normal operation
Caveat Review Bentley's release notes for your specific version upgrade to check for any feature changes or compatibility considerations

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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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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-2021-46591 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