LibreOffice

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:	LibreOffice is an open source office productivity software comprised of applications that have the following functionalities: word processing and desktop publishing, spreadsheets, multimedia presentations, graphic design and diagramming, and other basic actions. Note: There is a `Fresh Branch` that focuses on new features for technology enthusiasts which may contain bugs and a `Still Branch` which focuses on a stable release suitable for all users for enterprise use. This assessment focuses on the Still Branch only. This entry covers the Desktop Edition of this technology and not any mobile versions. Please note that the implementation of mobile technology applications that operate on Mobile Operating Systems must be reviewed and approved by the Mobile Technology and Endpoint Security Engineering Team: http://vaww.eie.va.gov/SysDesign/CS/MT/default.aspx
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 qualifies for a legally-defined Exception (Back Office) as determined by the Section 508 Office and will not need a 508 assessment prior to being available in the TRM. 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 v23.10
Decision Date:	10/16/2023 at 16:24:26 UTC
Aliases:	office productivity
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	The Document Foundation

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 Desupport Date
4.x	02/07/2013	12/31/2015
5.0.x	08/21/2015	05/29/2016
5.1.x	12/17/2016	01/01/2018
5.2.x	06/23/2016	01/01/2018
5.3.x	01/25/2017
5.4.x	06/26/2017
6.0.x	11/05/2018
6.2.x	12/20/2018
6.3.x	07/01/2019
6.4.x	12/20/2019
7.0.x	07/06/2020
7.1.x	02/04/2021
7.2.x	08/16/2021
7.3.x	02/02/2022
7.4.x	05/15/2022
7.5.x	12/02/2022
7.6.x	05/02/2023

Current Decision Matrix (10/12/2023)

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

CY2019

CY2020

CY2021

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

4.x

Unapproved

5.0.x

Unapproved

5.3.x

Divest
[4, 5, 8]

Unapproved

5.4.x

Divest
[4, 5, 8]

Unapproved

6.0.x

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 5, 8]

Divest
[4, 5, 9, 10]

Unapproved

6.2.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 5, 9, 10]

Divest
[4, 5, 9, 10, 11]

Divest
[4, 5, 9, 11, 12]

Unapproved

6.3.x

Unapproved

Divest
[4, 5, 9, 10, 11]

Divest
[4, 5, 9, 11, 12]

Unapproved

6.4.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 5, 9, 10, 11]

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 5, 9, 11, 12]

Divest
[4, 5, 9, 12]

7.0.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 5, 9, 10, 11]

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 5, 9, 11, 12]

Divest
[4, 5, 9, 12]

7.1.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 5, 9, 12]

7.2.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 5, 9, 12]

7.3.x

Unapproved

7.4.x

Unapproved

7.5.x

Unapproved

7.6.x

Unapproved

Decision Constraints


[1]	This product may only be used as a third party component required by other TRM approved software and may not be installed and used separately as a substitute for enterprise approved Microsoft Office products. Due to several NIST security vulnerabilities, extra vigilance should be applied to ensure the product remains properly patched to mitigate known and future vulnerabilities.

[2]	As of April 23, 2015, per the Deputy CIO of Architecture, Strategy and Design (ASD), all technologies in use by the VA require an assessment by the VA Section 508 office. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 is a federal law that sets the guidelines for technology accessibility. A VA Section 508 assessment of this technology has not been completed at the time of publication. Therefore, as of April 23, 2015 only users of this technology who have deployed the technology to the production environment, or have project design and implementation plans approved, may continue to operate this technology. In the case of a project that has implemented, or been approved for a specific site or number of users, and that project needs to expand operations to other sites or to an increased user base, it may do so as long as the project stays on the existing version of the technology that was approved or implemented as of April 22, 2015. Use of this technology in all other cases is prohibited.

[3]	This product may only be used as a third party component required by other TRM approved software and may not be installed and used separately as a substitute for enterprise approved Microsoft Office products.

[4]	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.

[5]	Due to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) identified security vulnerabilities, extra vigilance should be applied to ensure the versions remain properly patched to mitigate known and future vulnerabilities. The local ISO can provide assistance in reviewing the NIST vulnerabilities.

[6]	This product may only be used as a third party component required by other TRM approved software and may not be installed and used separately as a substitute for enterprise approved Microsoft Office products.

[7]	This product must only be used as a third party component required by other TRM approved software and may not be installed and used separately as a substitute for enterprise approved Microsoft Office products.

[8]	This product must only be used as a third-party component required by other TRM-approved software and may not be installed and used separately as a substitute for enterprise approved Microsoft Office products.

[9]	This technology must only be downloaded from the vendor`s website and not from any App Store.

[10]	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.

[11]	Technology must remain patched and operated in accordance with Federal and Department security policies and guidelines in order to mitigate known and future security vulnerabilities.

[12]	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.

Note:

At the time of writing, version 7.6.2.1 is the most current version and released 10/10/2023.

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
Base	This is the database front end that supports My Structured Query Language (SQL), Microsoft Access and PostgreSQL.
Calc	This is the spreadsheet application.
Charts	This is used for creating and embedding charts and graphs.
Draw	This is a graphic design and diagramming application.
Impress	This is the multimedia presentation application.
Math	This is a formula editor that can be used in text documents, spreadsheets, presentations and drawings.
Writer	This is the word processing and desktop publishing application.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Domain Area	Category	Customer Guidance	Category Locked By ELT Date
Collaboration and Electronic Workplace Productivity Software	Standard Office Suite

Open Source

This entry is available as an open source technology.

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

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:

No runtime dependencies have been identified.

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This is a well-documented technology.
This technology is available at no cost through open source licensing and supports VA`s open source initiative.
This technology may improve productivity for specific staff whose responsibilities include desktop publishing, word processing, and multimedia presentations.

Adoption Risks

There are other VA-approved comparable solutions, and the adoption of this technology could result in duplicate functionality and compatibility issues.
There are known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) and VA Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC) vulnerabilities. Please see https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/search for more details.
The potential exists to store Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI) and/or VA Sensitive data and proper security standards must be followed in these cases.
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.
There are Threat & Assessment Analysis Portal (TAAP) bulletins associated with this technology.
There is no indication based on available vendor documentation that this technology is Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 compliant.
As open-source software, this product may be left without clearly defined support options which may result in suboptimal enterprise level support.

Architectural Benefits

The technology is portable as it runs on multiple TRM-approved operating systems.

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VA Technical Reference Model v 24.7

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (10/12/2023)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Open Source

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

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VA Technical Reference Model v 24.7

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (10/12/2023)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Open Source

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

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