Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-46616 is an information disclosure issue in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80. A user must open a malicious file or visit a malicious page. On its own, the rated impact is low, but it could help an attacker chain other bugs for code execution.
Executive priority
Treat this as a low-severity but real workstation risk. It does not justify emergency response by itself, but should be remediated in normal patch cycles, especially for teams handling external design submissions.
Technical view
The flaw is a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read in BMP image parsing. Improper validation of user-supplied data can read past an allocated buffer, exposing limited process memory. The CVSS 3.0 score is 3.3 with local attack vector and required user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on engineering or design workstations running Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80, especially where users receive or open external BMP images, project files, or web-delivered content.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show known active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. Exploitation requires user interaction. The main concern is use as part of a broader vulnerability chain, not standalone compromise.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports an out-of-bounds read in BMP parsing, not standalone remote code execution. ZDI notes potential use with other vulnerabilities to execute code in the current process, so chaining risk matters during triage.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory MicroStation CONNECT installations and flag version 10.16.0.80.
- Review Bentley BE-2021-0002 for supported update or mitigation guidance.
- Reduce user exposure to unsolicited BMP files and untrusted design content.
- Apply email, browser, and endpoint controls for externally supplied file handling.
- Prioritize remediation on workstations processing third-party engineering files.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 exists in software inventory.
- Identify teams that open external BMP or design files in MicroStation.
- Check endpoint telemetry for unusual MicroStation launches from downloads or email attachments.
- Verify controls quarantine or warn on unsolicited image and design files.
- Document whether vendor guidance has been applied or accepted as risk.
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-125: 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-2021-46616 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
- Low
- CVSS
- 3.3 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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:L/I:N/A:N1.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
3.3LowVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.bentley.com/en/common-vulnerability-exposure/BE-2021-0002CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-22-203/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.
Out-of-bounds Read
Out-of-bounds Read represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.