Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 can be compromised if a user opens malicious BMP content or visits a malicious page. The flaw could let an attacker run code with the user’s application privileges. This is high urgency for teams exchanging design files with external parties.
Executive priority
Prioritize this for engineering environments using the affected MicroStation build. The business risk is workstation compromise through normal file-handling workflows, particularly where external project files are common. Urgency is high, but the bundle does not prove active exploitation.
Technical view
CVE-2021-46645 is a CWE-787 out-of-bounds write in BMP image parsing in Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80. Crafted BMP data can write past an allocated buffer and may lead to arbitrary code execution in the current process. CVSS 3.0 is 7.8 high.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in organizations running MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80, especially CAD and engineering users who open externally supplied files or web-linked content. The bundle does not identify other affected Bentley products or versions.
Exploitation context
The source bundle says exploitation requires user interaction: opening a malicious file or visiting a malicious page. It does not cite CISA KEV listing, public exploitation, or active attacks. Treat this as lure-based client-side risk, not exposed-server risk.
Researcher notes
ZDI tracked this as ZDI-CAN-15531 and ZDI-22-232. The technical root is BMP parser memory corruption, classified as CWE-787. Avoid assuming broader version impact, exploit availability, or patch details beyond Bentley guidance unless independently confirmed.
Mitigation direction
- Review Bentley advisory BE-2021-0002 for vendor-confirmed updates or mitigation guidance.
- Prioritize remediation for users who receive external CAD, image, or project files.
- Restrict opening untrusted BMP images or unsolicited design files in MicroStation.
- Use least privilege and endpoint controls to limit impact from user-context code execution.
Validation and detection
- Inventory MicroStation installations and identify version 10.16.0.80.
- Compare installed builds against Bentley advisory BE-2021-0002.
- Confirm CAD users have guidance for handling untrusted files and links.
- Review endpoint alerts for suspicious 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-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-2021-46645 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-2021-0002CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-22-232/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.