dbcve.org
MicrostationApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-46647

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. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-15533.

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

Heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT when parsing BMP images. The software fails to validate the length of user-supplied data before copying it to a heap buffer, allowing remote code execution via a malicious BMP file or webpage.

MitigationApply the vendor patch for CVE-2021-46647 to Bentley MicroStation CONNECT. Until patched, require user training to avoid opening untrusted BMP files and consider network segmentation 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
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. Confirm MicroStation installation
    Look for Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or Bentley View in the installed programs list (Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features)
    Affected if One of these three products is installed
  2. Locate executable and version
    Find the main executable (typically MicroStation.exe or BentleyView.exe) in the program directory, then right-click > Properties > Details to view the File Version
    Affected if The version shown is below 10.16.02 for MicroStation/View, or below 10.16.0.80 for MicroStation Connect
  3. Compare version to affected range
    Match your installed version against the vulnerable ranges: MicroStation < 10.16.02, MicroStation Connect < 10.16.0.80, or Bentley View < 10.16.02
    Affected if Your version falls within any of these vulnerable ranges
  4. Assess BMP file handling exposure
    Check if the application is used to open or preview BMP image files, or if BMP thumbnails are generated in file browsers within the software
    Affected if Users routinely open BMP files or the software generates BMP previews/thumbnails - the vulnerable BMP parsing code is reachable

If Bentley MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or View is installed at a version below 10.16.02 (or below 10.16.0.80 for Connect) and users can open BMP files, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

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 for CVE-2021-46647 to Bentley MicroStation CONNECT. Until patched, require user training to avoid opening untrusted BMP files and consider network segmentation to limit exposure.

Recommended fix High confidence

MicroStation/View: upgrade to 10.16.02 or later; MicroStation Connect: upgrade to 10.16.0.80 or later

  1. 1. Identify the exact MicroStation product variant installed (MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or View)
  2. 2. Check the current installed version in the application's About/Help section
  3. 3. Download the fixed version from the official Bentley Bentley.com support portal
  4. 4. Close all MicroStation instances and any related applications
  5. 5. Run the installer for the updated version
  6. 6. Follow the installation wizard prompts to complete the upgrade
  7. 7. Restart the application after installation completes
  8. 8. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release (10.16.02 or later for MicroStation/View, 10.16.0.80 or later for Connect)
Caveat Review release notes for potential impact on existing workflows, custom configurations, or third-party integrations before upgrading production environments

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

Fix this in Microstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-46647 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2021-46647 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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