Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-46585 is a high-severity vulnerability in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80. A victim must open a malicious JT file or visit a malicious page. Successful exploitation could let an attacker run code with the user’s application privileges, affecting confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Executive priority
Treat this as a priority for engineering, CAD, and design environments using the affected MicroStation version. The business risk is targeted file-based compromise through normal project workflows, especially where external design files are common. It is high urgency if affected systems handle third-party JT content.
Technical view
The flaw is a CWE-121 stack-based buffer overflow in JT file parsing. MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 does not properly validate user-supplied data length before copying to a stack buffer. CVSS 3.0 is 7.8: local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, user interaction required, high CIA impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 is installed and users handle JT files from customers, vendors, email, downloads, or shared project repositories. The source bundle names only this version, so broader product exposure should not be assumed.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show active exploitation, and this CVE is not marked KEV. Exploitation requires user interaction: opening a malicious file or visiting a malicious page. The outcome is code execution in the current process, not automatically remote compromise without user action.
Researcher notes
Key constraints are UI:R and AV:L in the CVSS vector, despite the description mentioning malicious pages or files. The source bundle identifies ZDI-CAN-15379 and ZDI-22-172. Remediation specifics are not included in the supplied text, so vendor advisory verification is required.
Mitigation direction
- Check Bentley advisory BE-2021-0005 for vendor-approved updates or mitigations.
- Prioritize updating or removing MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 where present.
- Restrict opening JT files from untrusted or external sources.
- Use endpoint controls to limit damage from user-context code execution.
- Route suspicious design files through established file-screening workflows.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints for Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80.
- Identify teams and workflows that exchange or open JT files.
- Confirm whether Bentley guidance has been applied on affected systems.
- Review endpoint telemetry for suspicious MicroStation crashes or child-process activity.
- Document compensating controls where immediate remediation is not possible.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-121: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-46585 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.bentley.com/en/common-vulnerability-exposure/BE-2021-0005CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-22-172/CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Stack-based Buffer Overflow
Stack-based Buffer Overflow represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.