CentOS Linux

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:	CentOS (Community Enterprise Operating System) Linux is a Linux distribution operating system that provides an enterprise-class, community-supported computing platform functionally compatible with its upstream source. Differences in binaries between CentOS Linux and Red Hat are primarily relegated to removal of Red Hat proprietary branding and logos. 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 v22.10
Decision Date:	10/25/2022 at 00:16:07 UTC
Aliases:	Community Enterprise Operating System
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	The CentOS Project

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	03/09/2005	02/29/2012
5.x	04/12/2007	03/31/2017
6.x	07/10/2011	11/30/2020
7.x	07/07/2014	06/30/2024
8.x	02/09/2020	12/31/2021

Current Decision Matrix (10/20/2022)

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

CY2021

CY2022

CY2023

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

4.x

Prohibited

5.x

Prohibited

6.x

Unapproved

7.x

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 4, 5, 12, 14]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 4, 5, 12, 15]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 4, 5, 15, 16]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 4, 5, 16, 17]

Unapproved

8.x

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 4, 5, 12, 14]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 4, 5, 12, 15]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 4, 5, 15, 16]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 4, 5, 16, 17]

Unapproved

Decision Constraints


[1]	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.

[2]	Product use is restricted to laboratory and development test systems only. Product may not be used for VistA site mirror test systems or other pre-production verification systems. Applications and strategies developed on systems running this product must be tested properly on enterprise level Red Hat platforms prior to production release. Product must remain properly patched in order to mitigate known and future security vulnerabilities. Organization security baseline configuration standards for Linux systems must be employed and properly maintained. Only versions 5.x and higher are permitted.

[3]	Product use is restricted to laboratory and development test systems only. Product may not be used for VistA site mirror test systems or other pre-production verification systems. Applications and strategies developed on systems running this product must be tested properly on enterprise level Red Hat platforms prior to production release. Product must remain properly patched in order to mitigate known and future security vulnerabilities. Organization security baseline configuration standards for Linux systems must be employed and properly maintained.

[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]	Users must abide by the constraints and limitations of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux TRM entry. Use of this product is restricted to laboratory and development test systems only. This product may not be used for Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) site mirror test systems or other pre-production verification systems. Applications and strategies developed on systems running this product must be tested properly on enterprise level Red Hat platforms prior to production release. This product must remain properly patched in order to mitigate known and future security vulnerabilities. Organization security baseline configuration standards for Linux systems must be employed and properly maintained.

[7]	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).

[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]	Users must abide by the constraints and limitations of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux TRM entry. Use of this product is restricted to laboratory and development test systems only. This product may not be used for Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) site mirror test systems or other pre-production verification systems. Applications and strategies developed on systems running this product must be tested properly on enterprise level Red Hat platforms prior to production release. This product must remain properly patched in order to mitigate known and future security vulnerabilities. Organization security baseline configuration standards for Linux systems must be employed and properly maintained.

[11]	Users must abide by the constraints and limitations of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux TRM entry. Use of this product is restricted to laboratory and development test systems only. This product may not be used for Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) site mirror test systems or other pre-production verification systems. Applications and strategies developed on systems running this product must be tested properly on enterprise level Red Hat platforms prior to production release. Organization security baseline configuration standards for Linux systems must be employed and properly maintained. The CentOS Secure Configuration Baseline must be followed, and care must be taken to ensure that vulnerabilities are monitored and known vulnerabilities mitigated expeditiously. The administrator or installer must ensure that CentOS is obtained from the CentOS website with a verifiable web certificate. Downloaded software must always be scanned for viruses prior to installation to prevent adware or malware. Users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO) or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative for permission to download and use this software.

[12]	A Secure Configuration Baseline must be developed and approved for CentOS to be adopted for usage within VA. Once approved, the CentOS Secure Configuration Baseline must be followed and care must be taken to ensure that vulnerabilities are monitored and known vulnerabilities mitigated expeditiously. The administrator or installer should ensure that CentOS is obtained from the CentOS website with a verifiable web certificate. Downloaded software must always be scanned for viruses prior to installation to prevent adware or malware. Users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO) or local OI&T representative for permission to download and use this software. CentOS is based on the stable release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Support can be obtained via the community supporting CentOS and ultimately Red Hat. Users must abide by the constraints and limitations of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux TRM entry. Use of this product is restricted to laboratory and development test systems only. This product may not be used for Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) site mirror test systems or other pre-production verification systems. Applications and strategies developed on systems running this product must be tested properly on enterprise level Red Hat platforms prior to production release. Organization security baseline configuration standards for Linux systems must be employed and properly maintained.

[13]	Due to potential information security risks for cloud-based technologies, users should coordinate closely with their facility ISSO for guidance and assistance on cloud products. If further guidance is needed contact the Enterprise Cloud Solution Office (ECSO), which is the body responsible for new software development in and migration of existing systems to the VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC) and ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised within the VAEC. For information about Software as a Service (SaaS) products or to submit a SaaS product request with the Project Special Forces (SPF) team, please use their online form. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[14]	Due to potential information security risks for cloud-based technologies, users should coordinate closely with their facility ISSO for guidance and assistance on cloud products. If further guidance is needed contact the Enterprise Cloud Solution Office (ECSO), which is the body responsible for new software development in and migration of existing systems to the VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC) and ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised within the VAEC. For information about Software as a Service (SaaS) products or to submit a SaaS product request with the Project Special Forces (SPF) team, please use their online form. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[15]	Due to potential information security risks for cloud-based technologies, users should coordinate closely with their facility ISSO for guidance and assistance on cloud products. If further guidance is needed contact the Enterprise Cloud Solution Office (ECSO), which is the body responsible for new software development in and migration of existing systems to the VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC) and ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised within the VAEC. For information about Software as a Service (SaaS) products or to submit a SaaS product request with the Project Special Forces (PSF) team, please use their online form. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[16]	Per the Initial Product Review, users must abide by the following constraints: Establishing and enforcing a secure configuration baseline for CentOS is an extremely heavy lift without a DISA STIG or compliance monitoring. The use of CentOS to host potentially critical VA production systems, that process sensitive information, may pose severe security risks to the VA CentOS is maintained by the community, and there are no assurances for malicious free source code or a release schedule for maintenance updates that would allow VA to plan out the product security roadmap. The use of open source products, lacking any vendor support, hosting potentially critical VA production systems may pose severe security risks to the VA.

[17]	Due to potential information security risks for cloud-based technologies, users should coordinate closely with their facility ISSO for guidance and assistance on cloud products. If further guidance is needed contact the Enterprise Cloud Solution Office (ECSO), which is the body responsible for new software development in and migration of existing systems to the VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC) and ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised within the VAEC. For information about Software as a Service (SaaS) products or to submit a SaaS product request with the VA OIT Product Engineering team, please use their online form. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

Note:

At the time of writing, version 8 (2105) is end-of-life as of 12/31/2021. At the time of writing, 2009 is the most current update for version 7 and released 11/11/2020.

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
Platforms and Storage Operating Systems	OS - Server

Open Source

This entry is available as an open source technology.

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

This entry is an operating system.

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

No runtime dependencies have been identified.

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This is a mature and well-documented technology.
As freeware, use of this operating system in the proper environments can potentially save the organization significant costs per system or virtual machine.
Deployment of open source Linux based test systems and virtual machines may be less encumbered by budgetary constraints related to operating system license costs and may result in reduced implementation timelines.
Each CentOS version is maintained for up to ten years (by means of security updates -- the duration of the support interval by Red Hat has varied over time with respect to Sources released). A new CentOS version is released approximately every two years and each CentOS version is periodically updated (roughly every six months) to support newer hardware.
This technology is available free of charge through open source licensing and promotes VA`s open source initiative.
Support for this technology can be obtained via the CentOS support community and Red Hat.

Adoption Risks

There are other approved solutions that provide similar functionality available on the TRM. The use of several similar solutions may increase organization requirements for support and maintenance.
Due to the frequency of this technology`s updates, the VA may be unable to keep up with the rapid release schedule of this technology and may require a usage model that requires specific versions.
There are known security vulnerabilities associated with the use of the parent product, Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Binary compatibility of Linux clones to upstream versions is dependent on the upstream vendor`s decision to share code as open source. Should the upstream vendor deviate from an open source sharing policy, the usefulness of clones may be lost.
The CentOS Project does not provide any verification, certification, or software assurance with respect to security for CentOS Linux. The Security Profiles provided in the CentOS Linux installers are a conversion of the ones included in Red Hat Enterprise Linux Source Code. If certified/verified software that has guaranteed assurance is something needed by the user, then users should consider using a different technology.
A VA Secure Configuration Baseline, for CentOS, does not currently exist. Further, a DISA STIG for CentOS, which would be required to create the Secure Configuration Baseline, does not exist.
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.
As it is a free download, a modified version of the software could introduce vulnerabilities to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) network.
CentOS is a community supported project. It is maintained on a limited basis with no direct support.
There are Threat & Assessment Analysis Portal (TAAP) bulletins associated with this technology.

Architectural Benefits

This product can be extended for additional functionality with developer toolsets.
This product supports other approved TRM applications such as Citrix XenServer, VirtualBox, running CentOS as guest on VMware Server or VMware Workstation.
The solution is compatible with virtual machines, therefore consistent with the enterprise Server Virtualize First Policy (VAIQ 7266972 08-27-2012).

Architectural Risks

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

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Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

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Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

Architectural Risks

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VA Technical Reference Model v 24.7

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (10/20/2022)

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

Architectural Risks

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