Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A malicious DGN design file or page can make Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 run attacker-controlled code when opened by a user. This matters most for engineering and design teams that receive external CAD files. There is no source evidence of active exploitation in the provided bundle.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority workstation risk for teams handling external CAD files. It is not described as wormable or actively exploited, but successful exploitation could compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability on affected engineering endpoints.
Technical view
CVE-2021-46639 is a CWE-787 out-of-bounds write in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 DGN parsing. Crafted DGN data can write past an allocated buffer and allow code execution in the current process. Exploitation requires user interaction and has CVSS 7.8 high severity.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to environments running Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 and opening DGN files from partners, clients, suppliers, or public sources. The provided data does not identify other affected versions or CPEs.
Exploitation context
The attacker must persuade a user to visit malicious content or open a malicious file. The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing, public exploitation, or exploit availability, so treat exploitation status as unconfirmed.
Researcher notes
ZDI tracks this as ZDI-22-226 and notes prior identifier ZDI-CAN-15511. Evidence supports DGN parsing memory corruption in MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 only. Patch or fixed-version details are not included in the bundle, so remediation should be verified from Bentley guidance.
Mitigation direction
- Identify all Bentley MicroStation CONNECT installations and confirm whether version 10.16.0.80 is present.
- Review Bentley advisory BE-2021-0009 for vendor-supported updates or mitigations.
- Restrict opening DGN files from untrusted or unexpected sources until remediated.
- Use endpoint controls to limit MicroStation process privileges and risky child-process behavior.
- Prioritize affected engineering workstations that handle external project files.
Validation and detection
- Verify installed MicroStation versions on CAD and engineering endpoints.
- Confirm remediation status against Bentley BE-2021-0009 guidance.
- Review recent crashes or security alerts involving MicroStation opening DGN files.
- Check file-ingress paths for externally supplied DGN content.
- Confirm user awareness controls for unexpected CAD attachments or links.
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-787: 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-2021-46639 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-22-226/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 Write
Out-of-bounds Write represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.