Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A specially crafted J2K image can crash or take control of Bentley MicroStation CONNECT when a user opens a malicious file or page. The cited record names version 10.16.0.80. Impact is high because successful exploitation can run code as the current user.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority workstation and engineering-tool risk, especially in teams exchanging external CAD or image content. It is not shown as actively exploited in the supplied sources, but code execution through trusted design software can materially affect project environments.
Technical view
CVE-2021-46622 is a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read in J2K image parsing in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80. Crafted J2K data can read past an allocated buffer and may enable arbitrary code execution in the current process. Exploitation requires user interaction and no privileges.
Likely exposure
Organizations using Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 are the clearly cited exposure group. Risk is higher where users open external design files, images, project packages, or links from partners, contractors, email, or web sources.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Exploitation is user-assisted: the victim must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The record ties the issue to ZDI-CAN-15416 and ZDI-22-209.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE description, Bentley reference, and ZDI advisory reference. Do not expand affected products beyond MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 without vendor confirmation. The key technical pivot is J2K parsing, CWE-125, user interaction required, high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Mitigation direction
- Check Bentley advisory BE-2021-0006 for vendor-approved fixes or workarounds.
- Update affected MicroStation installations only to versions Bentley identifies as fixed.
- Avoid opening untrusted J2K images or project files in affected MicroStation builds.
- Use email and web filtering to reduce delivery of untrusted crafted files.
- Run MicroStation with least-privileged user accounts where operationally feasible.
Validation and detection
- Inventory MicroStation CONNECT installations and identify version 10.16.0.80.
- Review workflows that import J2K images or open externally supplied files.
- Confirm remediation status against Bentley advisory BE-2021-0006.
- Check vulnerability management records for CVE-2021-46622 coverage.
- Document compensating controls where immediate vendor remediation is unavailable.
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-2021-46622 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-2021-0006CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-22-209/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.