CVE-2021-46653
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 · uneditedThis 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 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-15539.
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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow in Bentley View's BMP image parser allows remote code execution via malicious BMP files. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied data length before copying to heap memory, enabling attackers to corrupt heap metadata and achieve arbitrary code execution in the current process context.
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< 10.16.02< 10.16.02CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Bentley softwareCheck for Bentley Microstation or Bentley View installation by reviewing installed programs in Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use command: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Select DisplayName | Where-Object {$_ -match 'Microstation|View'}. Verify both 32-bit and 64-bit registry locations if needed.Affected if Either Bentley Microstation or Bentley View is installed on the system
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Determine installed version numberFor Microstation: open the application, go to Help > About Microstation, or right-click the executable and select Properties > Details tab. For View: Help > About Bentley View. Note the exact version string displayed.Affected if Version displayed is below 10.16.02 (for example 10.16.00, 10.15.x, or earlier releases)
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Confirm BMP file handling capabilityVerify the software can process BMP image files by checking if the image import functionality accepts BMP format, or attempt to open a test BMP file to confirm the parser is active.Affected if BMP files can be opened or imported within the Bentley product (the parser is built-in and always available when the software is installed)
You are affected if Bentley Microstation or Bentley View is installed with a version number lower than 10.16.02 and the BMP image parser feature is accessible.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped10.16.02
Avoid opening untrusted BMP files and apply Bentley's security patch when available. Until patched, restrict file handling to trusted sources only.
10.16.02
- Obtain Bentley View or MicroStation version 10.16.02 or later from Bentley's official website or authorized distribution channels
- Back up all critical projects and custom configurations before upgrading
- Uninstall the current vulnerable version of Bentley View or MicroStation
- Install version 10.16.02 of the affected product
- Verify the installation was successful by checking the product version
- Exercise caution when opening untrusted BMP files from unknown sources, even after patching
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-46653 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-46653 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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