Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-46638 is a high-severity flaw in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80. A crafted DGN file, or malicious page leading to one, can cause code execution when opened by a user. The main business risk is compromise of engineering workstations handling design files.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted workstation compromise risk for engineering environments. It is not described as wormable, but successful exploitation could affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability of design systems.
Technical view
The flaw is a CWE-121 stack-based buffer overflow in DGN file parsing. The parser lacks proper validation of user-supplied data length before copying to a stack buffer, allowing code execution in the current process after user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 is installed and users receive, download, or open DGN files from external or untrusted sources.
Exploitation context
The sources describe remote attacker control but require user interaction: the target must open a malicious file or visit a malicious page. The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence.
Researcher notes
ZDI tracked this as ZDI-CAN-15510 and ZDI-22-225. CVSS is 7.8 with AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, matching a user-assisted local execution path through document parsing.
Mitigation direction
- Check Bentley advisory BE-2021-0009 for vendor-approved updates or mitigations.
- Prioritize remediation on systems running MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80.
- Restrict opening DGN files from untrusted external sources until remediated.
- Use normal endpoint controls to monitor MicroStation process behavior.
- Train affected users to treat unexpected design files as unsafe.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints for Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80.
- Confirm remediation status against Bentley BE-2021-0009.
- Review workflows that accept DGN files from outside parties.
- Check whether MicroStation runs on high-value engineering workstations.
- Review security telemetry for unusual MicroStation child processes or crashes.
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-2021-46638 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-2021-0009CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-22-225/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.