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MicrostationApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-46646

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 DGN files. Crafted data in a DGN file 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-15532.

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 Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 when parsing DGN files. Specifically, crafted data within a malicious DGN file triggers a write operation past the end of an allocated buffer, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user process. Exploitation requires user interaction—opening a malicious DGN file or visiting a webpage hosting the crafted file.

MitigationApply the vendor patch or upgrade to a patched version of MicroStation CONNECT. Until patched, avoid opening DGN files from untrusted sources and disable automatic file opening in the application.

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 the system for Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation CONNECT, or Bentley View applications. Look in Program Files for Bentley folder, or check the application executable properties (right-click MicroStation.exe or BentleyView.exe and select Properties > Details)
    Affected if Any of these three products (MicroStation, MicroStation CONNECT, or Bentley View) are installed
  2. Determine installed version
    Open the application, go to Help > About, or right-click the executable and check Properties > Details for the File Version
    Affected if Version is < 10.16.02 for MicroStation or Bentley View, or < 10.16.0.80 for MicroStation CONNECT
  3. Confirm DGN file handling capability
    Attempt to open a standard DGN file or check file associations in the application. DGN is the native MicroStation format and is typically handled by default
    Affected if DGN file parsing is enabled (default state) and a vulnerable version is installed
  4. Check for recent security updates
    Look in the application Help > Check for Updates or Bentley Subscriptions for installed hotfixes/patches. Alternatively, check Add/Remove Programs for recent Bentley updates
    Affected if No patches have been installed after the vulnerable version and the version remains below the fixed releases

A user is affected if they have MicroStation, MicroStation CONNECT, or Bentley View installed with a version below 10.16.02 (or 10.16.0.80 for CONNECT) and the application can parse DGN 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

Apply the vendor patch or upgrade to a patched version of MicroStation CONNECT. Until patched, avoid opening DGN files from untrusted sources and disable automatic file opening in the application.

Recommended fix High confidence

MicroStation and View: upgrade to version 10.16.02 or later; MicroStation Connect: upgrade to version 10.16.0.80 or later

  1. 1. Close any running instances of Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or MicroStation View
  2. 2. Obtain the latest version of the affected Bentley product from the official Bentley systems website or your Bentley software distributor
  3. 3. Run the installer for the fixed version (10.16.02 or 10.16.0.80, depending on your product)
  4. 4. Follow the installation wizard prompts to complete the update
  5. 5. Restart your system after installation completes
  6. 6. Verify the installed version matches the fixed release (10.16.02 for MicroStation/View, or 10.16.0.80 for MicroStation Connect)

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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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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-2021-46646 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