dbcve.org
MicrostationApplication · Bentley

CVE-2021-46649

MEDIUM · 5.5 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 →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 disclose sensitive information 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. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-15535.

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

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in the DGN file parser of Bentley MicroStation CONNECT. The parser fails to properly validate user-supplied data when processing DGN files, allowing an attacker to read past the end of an allocated buffer. This leads to sensitive information disclosure. Exploitation requires the user to open a malicious DGN file, and the vulnerability can be chained with other flaws for arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided security update for MicroStation CONNECT. Until a patch is available, instruct users to 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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Check installed Bentley MicroStation version
    Open MicroStation, go to Help > About MicroStation, or check Add/Remove Programs for the version number
    Affected if Version is below 10.16.02 for MicroStation or View, or below 10.16.0.80 for MicroStation Connect
  2. Check installed Bentley View version
    Open Bentley View, go to Help > About Bentley View, or check Add/Remove Programs for the version number
    Affected if Version is below 10.16.02
  3. Verify DGN file handling is enabled
    In MicroStation/MicroStation Connect, go to File > Settings > File > DGN File and confirm DGN import or open settings are configured
    Affected if DGN file handling is enabled and users can open DGN files
  4. Check for recent DGN file access
    Review application file logs or recent documents folder for DGN file open activity
    Affected if Users have opened DGN files from untrusted sources

If the installed version is below 10.16.02 (or 10.16.0.80 for Connect) AND DGN file handling is enabled, the environment is vulnerable to this out-of-bounds read flaw.

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-provided security update for MicroStation CONNECT. Until a patch is available, instruct users to avoid opening DGN files from untrusted sources and disable automatic file opening in the application.

Recommended fix High confidence

MicroStation 10.16.02 / MicroStation Connect 10.16.0.80 / View 10.16.02

  1. 1. Identify the exact MicroStation product and version currently installed (MicroStation, MicroStation Connect, or View)
  2. 2. For MicroStation: Upgrade to version 10.16.02 or later
  3. 3. For MicroStation Connect: Upgrade to version 10.16.0.80 or later
  4. 4. For View: Upgrade to version 10.16.02 or later
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the application's About section for the new version number
  6. 6. Test that DGN files open correctly in the updated version

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

Fix this in Microstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,100
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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-2021-46649 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