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MicrostationApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-46601

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-15395.

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

This is a use-after-free or null pointer dereference vulnerability in the JT file parser of Bentley MicroStation CONNECT. The parser fails to validate that an object exists before performing operations on it, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code via a specially crafted JT file requiring user interaction.

MitigationAvoid opening JT files from untrusted sources. Apply vendor patches when available. Consider using application sandboxing or endpoint protection as additional layers of defense.

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 for presence of MicroStation or MicroStation View in Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or by searching for Bentley MicroStation in the application list
    Affected if Product is MicroStation (any variant) or MicroStation View
  2. Determine installed version of MicroStation
    Open MicroStation, go to Help > About MicroStation, or right-click the executable in Program Files and select Properties > Details to view the version number
    Affected if Version is below 10.16.02 for standard MicroStation or MicroStation View, or version is 10.16.0.80 or below for MicroStation Connect
  3. Determine installed version of MicroStation Connect
    Open MicroStation Connect, go to Help > About Bentley MicroStation Connect, or locate the executable (typically in C:\Program Files\Bentley\MicroStation CONNECT Edition\) and check Properties > Details for version
    Affected if Version is 10.16.0.80 or below for MicroStation Connect edition
  4. Confirm JT file handling capability exists
    Verify the installation includes JT file format support - attempt to open or import a legitimate JT file in the application
    Affected if JT file parser module is present and functional in the installation

User is affected if Bentley MicroStation (any variant including Connect) or Bentley View is installed with a version below 10.16.02, or MicroStation Connect version 10.16.0.80 or below, and the application can open 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

Avoid opening JT files from untrusted sources. Apply vendor patches when available. Consider using application sandboxing or endpoint protection as additional layers of defense.

Recommended fix High confidence

MicroStation Connect version 10.16.02 or later (also applies to MicroStation and View products)

  1. 1. Close any running instances of Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or View
  2. 2. Back up all critical project files and user preferences
  3. 3. Navigate to the official Bentley Systems support website at www.bentley.com
  4. 4. Locate and download MicroStation Connect version 10.16.02 or later
  5. 5. Run the installer with administrator privileges
  6. 6. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the upgrade
  7. 7. Restart the application and verify that JT files can be opened without issues
  8. 8. Test critical JT files to confirm functionality is preserved
Caveat Minor: Verify custom workspaces, configurations, and VBA macros are compatible with version 10.16.02

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

Fix this in Microstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $6,960
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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-2021-46601 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