Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-46651 affects Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80. A user must open a malicious DGN file or visit a malicious page. The known impact is limited information disclosure, but the vendor record notes it could support broader compromise when chained with other flaws.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted workstation risk, not an enterprise emergency. Prioritize teams handling external CAD files and apply vendor guidance during normal vulnerability maintenance.
Technical view
The flaw is an out-of-bounds read, CWE-125, in DGN file parsing. Improper validation of user-supplied data can read beyond an allocated buffer. CVSS 3.0 is 3.3, with required user interaction and low confidentiality impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on design or engineering workstations using Bentley MicroStation CONNECT 10.16.0.80 and handling external DGN files. Evidence does not indicate unauthenticated network service exposure.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires user interaction. The risk increases where staff routinely open project files from external parties.
Researcher notes
The record is explicit on affected version and bug class, but remediation details are not included in the provided bundle. Avoid assuming patch versions beyond Bentley guidance.
Mitigation direction
- Review Bentley BE-2021-0009 for vendor-recommended updates or mitigations.
- Restrict opening DGN files from untrusted or unexpected sources.
- Prioritize affected engineering workstations that process third-party project files.
- Use endpoint controls to reduce impact from malicious document handling.
Validation and detection
- Inventory MicroStation CONNECT installations and identify version 10.16.0.80.
- Confirm whether users process external DGN files or links from outside parties.
- Check whether vendor guidance from Bentley BE-2021-0009 has been applied.
- Review security telemetry for suspicious activity around MicroStation document handling.
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-2021-46651 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-2021-0009CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-22-238/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.