dbcve.org
MicrostationApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-46643

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 View 10.15.0.75. 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 DGN files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a stack-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-15515.

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

A stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Bentley View 10.15.0.75 during DGN file parsing. The application fails to validate the length of user-supplied data before copying it into a fixed-size stack buffer, allowing remote code execution when a user opens a specially crafted malicious DGN file.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches from Bentley Systems. Until a patch is available, avoid opening DGN files from untrusted sources and consider using application sandboxing or isolation to limit exposure.

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
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 whether the system has Bentley Microstation or Bentley View installed by looking in the installed programs list or checking the application executable (Microstation.exe or BentleyView.exe) in the program files directory.
    Affected if The product is either Bentley Microstation or Bentley View.
  2. Determine installed version number
    Open the Bentley application, go to Help > About, or right-click the executable and view Properties > Details to find the version. Alternatively, check the Windows Installed Programs list for the version listed.
    Affected if The version is lower than 10.16.02 (for example, 10.15.0.75 as listed in the CVE).
  3. Verify DGN file handling capability
    Check if the DGN file format handler is enabled in the application by looking at File > Settings > File > DGN Import/Export or by attempting to open a DGN file. Check if the application has DGN filter or translator components installed.
    Affected if DGN file handling is enabled or available on the system.
  4. Confirm exposure to DGN files
    Review the system for recent DGN file access or check default file associations for .dgn files. Look in common document directories for DGN files or check the application recent files list.
    Affected if The user or system regularly opens or processes DGN files.

You are affected if you have Bentley Microstation or View installed with a version below 10.16.02 and you open or process DGN files, as the buffer overflow occurs during DGN file 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

Apply vendor-supplied patches from Bentley Systems. Until a patch is available, avoid opening DGN files from untrusted sources and consider using application sandboxing or isolation to limit exposure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

10.16.02

  1. Upgrade Bentley View to version 10.16.02 or later
  2. Upgrade Bentley Microstation to version 10.16.02 or later

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

Fix this in Microstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $7,000
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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-2021-46643 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