Aspera Connect Browser Plugin

General Information

Technologies must be operated and maintained in accordance with Federal and Department security and privacy policies and guidelines. More information on the proper use of the TRM can be found on the TRM Proper Use Tab/Section.

Website:	Go to site
Description:	Aspera Connect Browser Plug-in is a self-installing web browser plug-in that powers, uploads, and downloads in tandem with the Aspera Connect Server. This technology also enables web-based transfers for the Aspera web application, faspex and Shares. This plug-in integrates Aspera`s transport technology into a package that provides control over transfer parameters. The TRM decisions in this entry only apply to technologies and versions owned, operated, managed, patched, and version-controlled by VA. This includes technologies deployed as software installations on VMs within VA-controlled cloud environments (e.g. VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC)). Cloud services provided by the VAEC, which are listed in the VAEC Service Catalog, and those controlled and managed by an external Cloud Service Provider (i.e. SaaS) are not in the purview of the TRM. For more information on the use of cloud services and cloud-based products within VA, including VA private clouds, please see the Enterprise Cloud Solutions Office (ECSO) Portal at: https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/OITECSO
Technology/Standard Usage Requirements:	Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.
Section 508 Information:	This technology has not been assessed by the Section 508 Office. The Implementer of this technology has the responsibility to ensure the version deployed is 508-compliant. Section 508 compliance may be reviewed by the Section 508 Office and appropriate remedial action required if necessary. For additional information or assistance regarding Section 508, please contact the Section 508 Office at Section508@va.gov.
Decision:	View Decisions

Decision Source:	TRM Mgmt Group
Decision Process:	One-VA TRM v23.1
Decision Date:	01/04/2023 at 16:50:39 UTC
Aliases:	IBM Aspera Connect Browser Plug-in, Aspera Connect, Connect Browser Plug-in
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	International Business Machines (IBM)

Vendor Release Information

The Vendor Release table provides the known releases for the TRM Technology, obtained from the vendor (or from the release source).

Version	Release Date	Vendor End of Life Date	Vendor Desupport Date
3.6.x	01/28/2016
3.7.x	01/19/2017
3.8.x	07/07/2018
3.9.x	04/09/2019
3.10.x	08/20/2020
3.11.x	12/10/2020
4.x	06/11/2021

Current Decision Matrix (12/21/2022)

Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.

The VA Decision Matrix displays the current and future VA IT position regarding different releases of a TRM entry. These decisions are based upon the best information available as of the most current date. The consumer of this information has the responsibility to consult the organizations responsible for the desktop, testing, and/or production environments to ensure that the target version of the technology will be supported. Any major.minor version that is not listed in the VA Decision Matrix is considered unapproved for use.

Legend:

White	Approved: The technology/standard has been approved for use.
Yellow	Approved w/Constraints: The technology/standard can be used within the specified constraints located below the decision matrix in the footnote[1] and on the General tab.
Gray	Unapproved: This technology or standard can be used only if a POA&M review is conducted and signed by the Authorizing Official Designated Representative (AODR) as designated by the Authorizing Official (AO) or designee and based upon a recommendation from the POA&M Compliance Enforcement, has been granted to the project team or organization that wishes to use the technology.
Orange	Divest: VA has decided to divest itself on the use of the technology/standard. As a result, all projects currently utilizing the technology/standard must plan to eliminate their use of the technology/standard. Additional information on when the entry is projected to become unapproved may be found on the Decision tab for the specific entry.
Black	Prohibited: The technology/standard is not (currently) permitted to be used under any circumstances.
Blue	Planning/Evaluation Constraint:The period of time this technology is currently being evaluated, reviewed, and tested in controlled environments. Use of this technology is strictly controlled and not available for use within the general population. If a customer would like to use this technology, please work with your local or Regional OI&T office and contact the appropriate evaluation office displayed in the notes below the decision matrix. The Local or Regional OI&T office should submit an inquiry to the TRM if they require further assistance or if the evaluating office is not listed in the notes below.

Release/Version Information:

VA decisions for specific versions may include a ‘.x’ wildcard, which denotes a decision that pertains to a range of multiple versions.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 7.x would cover any version of 7.(Anything) - 7.(Anything). However, a 7.4.x decision would cover any version of 7.4.(Anything), but would not cover any version of 7.5.x or 7.6.x on the TRM.

VA decisions for specific versions may include ‘+’ symbols; which denotes that the decision for the version specified also includes versions greater than what is specified but is not to exceed or affect previous decimal places.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 12.6.4+ would cover any version that is greater than 12.6.4, but would not exceed the .6 decimal ie: 12.6.401 is ok, 12.6.5 is ok, 12.6.9 is ok, however 12.7.0 or 13.0 is not.

<Past

CY2017

CY2018

CY2019

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

3.6.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10]

Divest
[2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11]

Unapproved

3.7.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10]

Approved w/Constraints
[2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11]

Divest
[2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12]

Unapproved

3.8.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12]

3.9.x

Unapproved

3.10.x

Unapproved

3.11.x

Unapproved

4.x

Unapproved

Decision Constraints


[1]	Security Engineering (SE) and IITOPS conducted a pre-assessment and security requirements verification of Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In and they recommend usage under the following constraints: Aspera makes use of FIPS 140-2 compliant libraries. It supports AES 128, 192, and 256 encryption. It also uses SHA-256-128 to guarantee data integrity of data transferred. Aspera servers can be configured to run in FIPS 140-2 mode with the update of a configuration option. When enabled, all file transfer attempts using ciphers and/or hash algorithms that are not FIPS compliant will be aborted by the server. Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In makes use of the FIPS OpenSSL Toolkit, certification #1747. Some SSL-inspecting software fails to validate the certificates of systems that it connects to, which leaves users with not knowing if they are connected to a legitimate site. Upon detecting a certificate error, some SSL inspection applications will send the client`s request to the server prior to presenting a warning to the user, which could allow an attacker to view or modify sensitive data. SSL and TLS do not provide the level of end-to-end security that users may expect. Even in absence of SSL inspection, there are problems with how well browsers are conveying SSL information to users. The fact that "SSL inspection" is a phrase that exists should be a red flag that what SSL is actually doing, is fundamentally broken. Compounding the problem are the mistakes that SSL inspection software authors are making. Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In is downloadable from Cloudfront, and Amazon`s Cloud Delivery Network (CDN). There is also the ability to install the Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In from a software installer (.msi for Windows, rpm for Linux). In addition, customers have the ability to host the plugin in their own website. Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In is not listed as a Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) authorized, ready, or in-process product. Future implementation at VA would necessarily require a FedRAMP approved CSP from a select list. VA is yet to approve its Cloud Security Handbook that will provide system owners guidance to leverage cloud services while adhering to VA security requirements. Per the Initial Product Review and the Security Review, it is important to note that due to the nature of this extension, it allows file sharing in a browser. This means users are able to upload and download files by dragging and dropping in a browser, resulting in files being transferred to and from the Internet. All security concerns with regards to uploading VA files to the Internet should be evaluated to ensure proper use and behavior are expected. Risks with uploading VA files to the Internet need to be examined.

[2]	Users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Office (ISO) or local OIT representative for permission to download and use this software. Downloaded software must always be scanned for viruses prior to installation to prevent adware or malware. Freeware may only be downloaded directly from the primary site that the creator of the software has advertised for public download and user or development community engagement. Users should note, any attempt by the installation process to install any additional, unrelated software is not approved and the user should take the proper steps to decline those installations.

[3]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[4]	Due to potential information security risks, cloud based technologies may not be used without an Enterprise Security Change Control Board (ESCCB) approval. This body is in part responsible for ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[5]	In cases where the technology is used for external connections, a full Enterprise Security Change Control Board (ESCCB) review is required in accordance VA Directive 6004 , VA Directive 6517, and VA Directive 6513. The local ISO can advise on the ESCCB review process.

[6]	Browser plug-ins and extensions may only be installed by VA IT Operations (ITOPS) and must be used with official VA browser installation packages that are managed by ITOPS. For installation, contact the National Service Desk [Mail Group: National Service Desk - Austin]. Browser extensions must be kept up to date with security patches and enhancements.

[7]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[8]	Due to potential information security risks, cloud based technologies may not be used without the approval of the VA Enterprise Cloud Services (ECS) Group. This body is in part responsible for ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[9]	Due to potential information security risks, cloud based technologies may not be used without the approval of the Enterprise Cloud Solution Office (ECSO). This body is in part responsible for ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[10]	In cases where the technology is used for external connections, a full Enterprise Security Change Control Board (ESCCB) review is required in accordance VA Directive 6004 , VA Directive 6517, and VA Directive 6513. The local ISO can advise on the ESCCB review process.

[11]	Security Engineering (SE) and IITOPS conducted a pre-assessment and security requirements verification of Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In and they recommend usage under the following constraints: Aspera makes use of FIPS 140-2 compliant libraries. It supports AES 128, 192, and 256 encryption. It also uses SHA-256-128 to guarantee data integrity of data transferred. Aspera servers can be configured to run in FIPS 140-2 mode with the update of a configuration option. When enabled, all file transfer attempts using ciphers and/or hash algorithms that are not FIPS compliant will be aborted by the server. Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In makes use of the FIPS OpenSSL Toolkit, certification #1747. Some SSL-inspecting software fails to validate the certificates of systems that it connects to, which leaves users with not knowing if they are connected to a legitimate site. Upon detecting a certificate error, some SSL inspection applications will send the client`s request to the server prior to presenting a warning to the user, which could allow an attacker to view or modify sensitive data. SSL and TLS do not provide the level of end-to-end security that users may expect. Even in absence of SSL inspection, there are problems with how well browsers are conveying SSL information to users. The fact that `SSL inspection` is a phrase that exists should be a red flag that what SSL is actually doing, is fundamentally broken. Compounding the problem are the mistakes that SSL inspection software authors are making. Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In is downloadable from Cloudfront, and Amazon`s Cloud Delivery Network (CDN). There is also the ability to install the Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In from a software installer (.msi for Windows, rpm for Linux). In addition, customers have the ability to host the plugin in their own website. Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In is not listed as a Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) authorized, ready, or in-process product. Future implementation at VA would necessarily require a FedRAMP approved CSP from a select list. VA is yet to approve its Cloud Security Handbook that will provide system owners guidance to leverage cloud services while adhering to VA security requirements. Per the Initial Product Review and the Security Review, it is important to note that due to the nature of this extension, it allows file sharing in a browser. This means users are able to upload and download files by dragging and dropping in a browser, resulting in files being transferred to and from the Internet. All security concerns with regards to uploading VA files to the Internet should be evaluated to ensure proper use and behavior are expected. Risks with uploading VA files to the Internet need to be examined.

[12]	Security Engineering (SE) and IITOPS conducted a pre-assessment and security requirements verification of Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In and they recommend usage under the following constraints: Aspera makes use of FIPS 140-2 compliant libraries. It supports AES 128, 192, and 256 encryption. It also uses SHA-256-128 to guarantee data integrity of data transferred. Aspera servers can be configured to run in FIPS 140-2 mode with the update of a configuration option. When enabled, all file transfer attempts using ciphers and/or hash algorithms that are not FIPS compliant will be aborted by the server.Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In makes use of the FIPS OpenSSL Toolkit, certification #1747. Some SSL-inspecting software fails to validate the certificates of systems that it connects to, which leaves users with not knowing if they are connected to a legitimate site. Upon detecting a certificate error, some SSL inspection applications will send the client`s request to the server prior to presenting a warning to the user, which could allow an attacker to view or modify sensitive data.SSL and TLS do not provide the level of end-to-end security that users may expect. Even in absence of SSL inspection, there are problems with how well browsers are conveying SSL information to users. The fact that `SSL inspection` is a phrase that exists should be a red flag that what SSL is actually doing, is fundamentally broken. Compounding the problem are the mistakes that SSL inspection software authors are making. Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In is downloadable from Cloudfront, and Amazon`s Cloud Delivery Network (CDN). There is also the ability to install the Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In from a software installer (.msi for Windows, rpm for Linux). In addition, customers have the ability to host the plugin in their own website. Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In is not listed as a Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) authorized, ready, or in-process product. Future implementation at VA would necessarily require a FedRAMP approved CSP from a select list. VA is yet to approve its Cloud Security Handbook that will provide system owners guidance to leverage cloud services while adhering to VA security requirements. Per the Initial Product Review and the Security Review, it is important to note that due to the nature of this extension, it allows file sharing in a browser. This means users are able to upload and download files by dragging and dropping in a browser, resulting in files being transferred to and from the Internet. All security concerns with regards to uploading VA files to the Internet should be evaluated to ensure proper use and behavior are expected. Risks with uploading VA files to the Internet need to be examined.

Note:

At the time of writing, version 4.2.3 is the most current version, released 06/11/2021.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Source	Description

Technology Components

Note: This list may not be complete. No component, listed or unlisted, may be used outside of the technology in which it is released. The usage decision for a component is found in the Decision and Decision Constraints.
Name	Description
No components have been identified for this entry.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Domain Area	Category	Customer Guidance	Category Locked By ELT Date
Application Technology Development Tools	Application Development Tools

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

CentOS Linux - Unapproved
macOS - Approved w/Constraints
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Client - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Server - Approved w/Constraints

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

International Business Machines (IBM) Aspera High-Speed Transfer Endpoint

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

There is no licensing fee associated with this technology.
This technology may improve productivity for specific staff through improvements to specialized tasks related to uploading, downloading, and transferring web-based files.
This is well-documented technology.
At the time of writing, no National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) vulnerabilities had been reported and no VA Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC) bulletins had been issued for the latest versions of this technology.

Adoption Risks

Potential exists for this product to transmit, store or share Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI) and/or VA Sensitive data. Proper security standards must be followed in these cases.
Aspera makes use of FIPS 140-2 compliant libraries. It supports AES 128, 192, and 256 encryptions. It also uses SHA-256-128 to guarantee data integrity of data transferred. Aspera servers can be configured to run in FIPS 140-2 mode with the update of a configuration option. When enabled, all file transfer attempts using ciphers and/or hash algorithms that are not FIPS compliant will be aborted by the server.
- Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In makes use of the FIPS OpenSSL Toolkit, certification #1747 (listed in Historical Status).
- Some SSL-inspecting software fails to validate the certificates of systems that it connects to, which leaves users with not knowing if they are connected to a legitimate site.
- Upon detecting a certificate error, some SSL inspection applications will send the client`s request to the server prior to presenting a warning to the user, which could allow an attacker to view or modify sensitive data.
- SSL and TLS do not provide the level of end-to-end security that users may expect. Even in absence of SSL inspection, there are problems with how well browsers are conveying SSL information to users.
Aspera Connect Browser Plug-In is downloadable from Cloudfront, and Amazon`s Cloud Delivery Network (CDN).
It is important to note that due to the nature of this extension, it allows file sharing in a browser. This means users can upload and download files by dragging and dropping in a browser, resulting in files being transferred to and from the Internet.
Due to the rapid release schedule of this technology, the VA may be unable to update to the most recent patch and may require a deployment model requiring the use of specific versions.
Microsoft Internet Explorer, a dependency of this technology, is in a divested state at the time of writing.
The vulnerability scan discovered a finding from permissions: Medium: Storage - Gives the extension access to the chrome strorage API.
The Vulnerability scan diescovered a second finding from permissions: Medium: NativeMessaging - Gives your extension access to the native messaging API.
There are published vulnerabilities CVE-2020-4545 that affect version 3.9.9 of this software.
This technology is a browser plug-in or extension. Proper analysis must be conducted on this technology.

Architectural Benefits

This technology is portable as it runs on multiple VA-approved platforms.

Architectural Risks

This technology includes cloud-based functionality which has potential information security risks.

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Comparable Technologies:

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Architectural Benefits

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Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

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Runtime Dependencies:

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Architectural Benefits

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