dbcve.org
MicrostationApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-46597

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-15391.

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 · moderate confidence

A use-after-free or null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT when parsing malicious JT files. The application fails to validate the existence of an object before performing operations on it, allowing an attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user process via a specially crafted JT file.

MitigationUpdate Bentley MicroStation CONNECT to the vendor's patched version. Until patched, avoid opening JT files from untrusted sources or disable file preview functionality in the application.

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 and version
    Open the application, then go to Help > About or use the version information in the application menu to determine the exact version number (e.g., MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 or MicroStation 10.16.01)
    Affected if The product is MicroStation with version < 10.16.02, MicroStation CONNECT version 10.16.0.80, or Bentley View with version < 10.16.02
  2. Confirm JT file parsing capability
    Check if the application has JT file handlers or converters installed by attempting to open or import a JT file, or by examining the application's supported file format list in its options or preferences menu
    Affected if JT file parsing is enabled and the application can open or preview JT files
  3. Determine file preview exposure
    Inspect whether Windows thumbnail previews, Explorer preview panes, or the application's own preview feature is enabled for JT files in the system
    Affected if Thumbnail generation or file preview for JT files is enabled at the OS or application level, allowing automatic parsing without explicit file opening

The environment is affected if a vulnerable MicroStation, MicroStation CONNECT, or Bentley View version is installed and the system can parse or preview JT files, enabling the specially crafted file to trigger the use-after-free during parsing.

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

Update Bentley MicroStation CONNECT to the vendor's patched version. Until patched, avoid opening JT files from untrusted sources or disable file preview functionality in the application.

Recommended fix High confidence

MicroStation / MicroStation Connect / MicroStation View version 10.16.02 or later

  1. Navigate to the Bentley Systems official support or download portal
  2. Locate the Bentley MicroStation or MicroStation Connect download section
  3. Download version 10.16.02 or later for your specific product (MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or MicroStation View)
  4. Close all running instances of the affected MicroStation application
  5. Run the installer and follow the prompts to upgrade
  6. Verify the installed version matches the fixed release (10.16.02 or higher)
  7. Restart the application and confirm normal functionality

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

Fix this in Microstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,416.

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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-2021-46597 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