dbcve.org
MicrostationApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-46633

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-15463.

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 similar object validation vulnerability exists in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT's PDF parser. The code fails to validate the existence of an object before performing operations on it, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via malicious PDF files requiring user interaction.

MitigationAvoid opening untrusted PDF files and apply vendor-supplied patches when released. Restrict file handling to trusted 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 product and version
    Open the Bentley application (MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or View) and check the version information, typically found in the About or Help > About dialog, or by searching for the version in the application's Help menu
    Affected if The installed version falls below 10.16.02 for MicroStation or View, or is at or below 10.16.0.80 for MicroStation Connect
  2. Confirm the product includes PDF parsing capability
    Verify that the installed Bentley product has the ability to open or import PDF files, which is typically available in standard installations of MicroStation, Connect, and View
    Affected if PDF parsing functionality is present in the installation
  3. Compare your installed version against affected ranges
    Review the installed version number against the following affected ranges: Bentley MicroStation versions below 10.16.02, Bentley MicroStation Connect versions 10.16.0.80 and below, and Bentley View versions below 10.16.02
    Affected if Your installed version matches any of these affected ranges (less than 10.16.02 for MicroStation/View, or less than or equal to 10.16.0.80 for Connect)

You are affected if you are running any version of Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or View that falls within the affected version ranges and you have the ability to open PDF files in the application.

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 PDF files and apply vendor-supplied patches when released. Restrict file handling to trusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

MicroStation and View: 10.16.02 or later; MicroStation Connect: version newer than 10.16.0.80 (e.g., 10.16.0.90)

  1. Identify the exact MicroStation product variant installed (MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or View)
  2. Navigate to the Bentley product download page or contact Bentley support to obtain the fixed version
  3. For MicroStation: upgrade to version 10.16.02 or later
  4. For MicroStation Connect: upgrade to a version newer than 10.16.0.80 (such as 10.16.0.90 or later if available)
  5. For View: upgrade to version 10.16.02 or later
  6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the About section in the application
Caveat Review release notes for any feature changes or workflow adjustments between versions

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

Fix this in Microstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.

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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-2021-46633 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