dbcve.org
MicrostationApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-46645

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.16.0.80 / 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 BMP images. Crafted data in a BMP image can trigger a write past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-15531.

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 buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the BMP image parser of Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80. By crafting a malicious BMP image with data that causes a write operation to exceed the bounds of an allocated buffer, an attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user process. Exploitation requires user interaction to open a specially crafted BMP file.

MitigationAvoid opening BMP files from untrusted sources. Apply vendor patches when available and run the application with least privilege to limit the impact of potential code execution.

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:< 10.16.02
ViewApplication
Affected:< 10.16.0.80

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 if a Bentley product is installed
    Check the system for Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or Bentley View. Look in Program Files for 'Bentley' folder, or check the Windows uninstall list (reg query 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall' for DisplayName containing 'MicroStation' or 'Bentley').
    Affected if No Bentley product found means not affected.
  2. Determine the installed version of the Bentley application
    Locate the main executable (typically MicroStation.exe, MicroStationConnect.exe, or BentleyView.exe) in the installation directory. Right-click the executable, select Properties, and check the 'Details' tab for the Product Version.
    Affected if The exact version number is displayed.
  3. Compare your version against the affected ranges
    For MicroStation or MicroStation Connect: any version below 10.16.02 is affected. For Bentley View: any version below 10.16.0.80 is affected. If your version starts with 10.16.0 or lower and is not 10.16.02 or higher, you are within the affected range.
    Affected if Version is below 10.16.02 for MicroStation/MicroStation Connect, or below 10.16.0.80 for Bentley View.
  4. Verify BMP file handling capability exists
    Since the vulnerability is in the BMP parser, confirm the application has BMP import capability. Check if the application can open or import BMP files (File > Open or File > Import typically lists BMP as a supported format).
    Affected if BMP support is a standard feature in these products, so most installations can parse BMP files.

You are affected if a Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or Bentley View version below 10.16.02 (or below 10.16.0.80 for Bentley View) is installed and the application can open BMP 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 10.16.0.80 / 10.16.02 or later
Fixed in 10.16.0.8010.16.02
Interim mitigation

Avoid opening BMP files from untrusted sources. Apply vendor patches when available and run the application with least privilege to limit the impact of potential code execution.

Recommended fix High confidence

MicroStation 10.16.02 or later / MicroStation Connect 10.16.02 or later / View 10.16.0.80 or later

  1. Verify current MicroStation version by navigating to Help > About MicroStation
  2. Download MicroStation version 10.16.02 or later from the official Bentley website (www.bentley.com)
  3. Close all MicroStation instances and any Bentley applications
  4. Run the installer with administrative privileges
  5. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. Restart the computer after installation completes
  7. Verify the installed version is 10.16.02 or higher via Help > About MicroStation
Caveat Standard software upgrade; ensure any custom workspaces or configurations are backed up before upgrading

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

Fix this in Microstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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-2021-46645 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