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MicrostationApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-46609

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 PDF 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-15403.

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 10.16.0.80 during PDF file parsing. The application fails to validate object existence before performing operations, allowing remote code execution when a user opens a specially crafted malicious PDF file.

MitigationApply vendor-provided security update/patch for Bentley MicroStation CONNECT. Until patched, users should not open PDF files from 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 the installed Bentley MicroStation product
    Open MicroStation or MicroStation Connect, then go to Help > About Bentley MicroStation (or About Bentley View). Note the full version number displayed in the dialog.
    Affected if The version displayed is less than 10.16.02, or 10.16.0.80 or lower for MicroStation Connect specifically, or less than 10.16.02 for Bentley View.
  2. Verify PDF import capability is present
    Check if the application can open or import PDF files. In MicroStation, try accessing File > Open and look for PDF file type in the file filter, or check the DGN or Design suite settings for PDF-related components.
    Affected if PDF file import capability exists in the installation (the vulnerability triggers when parsing PDF files).
  3. Confirm version through Windows installation records
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features (or Settings > Apps), locate Bentley MicroStation or Bentley View in the list, and record the version shown.
    Affected if The installed version shown is < 10.16.02 for MicroStation/View, or <= 10.16.0.80 for MicroStation Connect.

You are affected if your installed Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or Bentley View version is below 10.16.02 (or 10.16.0.80 or lower for Connect) and you use the PDF import/parsing feature.

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 vendor-provided security update/patch for Bentley MicroStation CONNECT. Until patched, users should not open PDF files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

MicroStation 10.16.02 or later; MicroStation Connect version greater than 10.16.0.80; MicroStation View 10.16.02 or later

  1. 1. Ensure all users close any running instances of Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or MicroStation View
  2. 2. Backup all critical design files and user preferences
  3. 3. Download the latest MicroStation version 10.16.02 or later from the Bentley Systems official website (www.bentley.com)
  4. 4. Run the installer with administrative privileges
  5. 5. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. 6. After installation, verify the version by opening MicroStation and checking About/Version information
Caveat Minor: Custom VBA macros or configurations may need revalidation after upgrade; review release notes for any deprecated features

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

Fix this in Microstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,320
Get the upgrade done

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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-2021-46609 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