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MicrostationApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-46598

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 proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a memory corruption condition. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-15392.

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

Memory corruption vulnerability in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT's JT file parser. The lack of proper validation of user-supplied data during JT file parsing allows an attacker to trigger memory corruption and execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process via a malicious JT file.

MitigationAvoid opening untrusted or malicious JT files. Apply Bentley's security updates when available. Consider network segmentation and user training to reduce exposure to malicious file imports.

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
    Open the application and go to Help > About, or check Add/Remove Programs for Bentley MicroStation or Bentley View
    Affected if The installed product is MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or Bentley View
  2. Check installed version number
    In the application, go to Help > About or use the file properties of the Bentley executable to determine the exact version (e.g., 10.16.0.x)
    Affected if The version is below 10.16.02 for MicroStation/View, or 10.16.0.80 or lower for MicroStation Connect
  3. Determine if JT file parsing is accessible
    Verify the ability to open or import JT files in the application. Try to access File > Open or File > Import and look for JT file type support
    Affected if JT file import functionality is available and enabled in the installation
  4. Check for recent file access or suspicious JT files
    Review recent file history, temporary directories, or network locations where JT files may have been opened. Inspect the application's recent documents list
    Affected if There is evidence of recent JT file processing or untrusted JT files have been opened

You are affected if you have MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or Bentley View installed with a version below 10.16.02 (or <= 10.16.0.80 for Connect) and the JT file parser is functional.

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 or malicious JT files. Apply Bentley's security updates when available. Consider network segmentation and user training to reduce exposure to malicious file imports.

Recommended fix High confidence

MicroStation 10.16.02 or MicroStation Connect 10.16.0.80+ (upgraded to 10.16.02 or later)

  1. 1. Identify the current MicroStation or MicroStation Connect version installed by navigating to Help > About MicroStation
  2. 2. Download the fixed version (10.16.02 or later) from the official Bentley Systems support portal at https://www.bentley.com/
  3. 3. Close all running MicroStation applications
  4. 4. Run the installer with administrative privileges
  5. 5. Follow the on-screen installation wizard prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. 6. Restart the application after installation completes
  7. 7. Verify the installed version shows 10.16.02 or higher
Caveat Standard upgrade - review release notes for any deprecated features or workflow changes specific to your version

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

Fix this in Microstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,880
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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-2021-46598 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