Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)

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:	Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCman) is a free utility from Microsoft for managing multiple Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) sessions to servers useful for managing lab environments or large Windows server farms. This entry covers the Desktop Edition of this technology and not any mobile versions. See Category tab/Comparable for the corresponding Mobile entry. Note: 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 https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/OITMT/SitePages/MTHome.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 has been assessed by the Section 508 Office and found non-conformant. 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. Please see reference tab for more information concerning product versions.
Decision:	View Decisions

Decision Source:	TRM Mgmt Group
Decision Process:	One-VA TRM v24.1
Decision Date:	01/24/2024 at 03:40:29 UTC
Aliases:	RD Connection Manager
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	Microsoft

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
2.2.x	05/27/2010
2.7.x	11/18/2014
2.8.x	07/27/2021
2.9.x	01/27/2022
2.92.x
2.93.x

Current Decision Matrix (01/11/2024)

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

CY2022

CY2023

CY2024

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

2.2.x

Prohibited

Unapproved

2.7.x

Prohibited

Unapproved

2.8.x

Approved w/Constraints
[2, 5, 6]

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

Approved w/Constraints
[9, 10, 11, 12, 13]

Approved w/Constraints
[9, 11, 12, 13, 14]

Divest
[11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17]

2.9.x

Unapproved

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

Divest
[9, 10, 11, 12, 13]

Divest
[9, 11, 12, 13, 14]

Divest
[11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17]

Unapproved

2.92.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[9, 10, 11, 12, 13]

Approved w/Constraints
[9, 11, 12, 13, 14]

Divest
[11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17]

2.93.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17]

Decision Constraints


[1]	Several levels of RDP session encryption are available. Administrators should ensure that FIPS 140-2 encryption is enabled for all remote connection sessions.

[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]	Several levels of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) session encryption are available. Administrators should ensure that Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 encryption is enabled for all remote connection sessions.

[5]	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.

[6]	Several levels of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) session encryption are available. Administrators should ensure that Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 encryption is enabled for all remote connection sessions. Per the Initial Product Review (IPR): It is advised that product version v2.82 or later should only be used

[7]	Several levels of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) session encryption are available. Administrators should ensure that Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 encryption is enabled for all remote connection sessions. This technology requires using a Universal Service Bus (USB) technology to transfer data into the records. As such, proper precautions need to be taken to protect data. The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) features of this software must not be used as the FTP protocol is prohibited for use on the VA network. (For further information see: VA Policy Memo VAIQ 7615193 on Prohibited Use of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Telnet Services) Per the Security Assessment Review, users must abide by the following constraints: It is advised that product version v2.82 or later should only be used.

[8]	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.

[9]	Users must ensure that Microsoft Structured Query Language SQL Server is implemented with VA-approved baselines. (Refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’) Several levels of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) session encryption are available. Administrators should ensure that Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 encryption is enabled for all remote connection sessions. This technology requires using a Universal Service Bus (USB) technology to transfer data into the records. As such, proper precautions need to be taken to protect data. The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) features of this software must not be used as the FTP protocol is prohibited for use on the VA network. (For further information see: VA Policy Memo VAIQ 7615193 on Prohibited Use of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Telnet Services) Per the Security Assessment Review, users must abide by the following constraints: It is advised that product version v2.82 or later should only be used.

[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 ISSO (Information System Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[11]	Users should check with their supervisor, Information System Security Officer (ISSO) 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.

[12]	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 ISSO (Information System Security Officer) can provide assistance in reviewing the NIST vulnerabilities.

[13]	Per the May 5th, 2015 memorandum from the VA Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) FIPS 140-2 Validate Full Disk Encryption (FOE) for Data at Rest in Database Management Systems (DBMS) and in accordance with Federal requirements and VA policy, database management must use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of VA information at rest at the application level. If FIPS 140-2 encryption at the application level is not technically possible, FIPS 140-2 compliant full disk encryption (FOE) must be implemented on the hard drive where the DBMS resides. Appropriate access enforcement and physical security control must also be implemented. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards. It is the responsibility of the system owner to work with the local CIO (or designee) and Information System Security Officer (ISSO) to ensure that a compliant DBMS technology is selected and that if needed, mitigating controls are in place and documented in a System Security Plan (SSP).

[14]	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 ISSO (Information System Security Officer) to ensure compliance with both VA Handbook 6500 and VA Directive 6500.

[15]	Users must ensure that Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) Server and My Structured Query Language (MySQL) Database - Commercial Editions are implemented with VA-approved baselines. (Refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’) Several levels of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) session encryption are available. Administrators should ensure that Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 encryption is enabled for all remote connection sessions. This technology requires using a Universal Service Bus (USB) technology to transfer data into the records. As such, proper precautions need to be taken to protect data. The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) features of this software must not be used as the FTP protocol is prohibited for use on the VA network. (For further information see: VA Policy Memo VAIQ 7615193 on Prohibited Use of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Telnet Services) Per the Initial Product Review, users must abide by the following constraints: System owners must ensure they are using the most recent version of RDCMan. Appropriate personnel much ensure that user accounts are regularly reviewed and managed when employees love or change roles.

[16]	Per the May 5th, 2015 memorandum from the VA Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) FIPS 140-2 FIPS 140-2 Validate Full Disk Encryption (FOE) for Data at Rest in Database Management Systems (DBMS) and in accordance with Federal requirements and VA policy, database management must use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 or its successor to protect the confidentiality and integrity of VA information at rest at the application level. If FIPS 140-2 encryption at the application level is not technically possible, FIPS 140-2 or 140-3 compliant full disk encryption (FOE) must be implemented on the storage device where the DBMS resides. Appropriate access enforcement and physical security control must also be implemented. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards. It is the responsibility of the system owner to work with the local CIO (or designee) and Information System Security Officer (ISSO) to ensure that a compliant DBMS technology is selected and that if needed, mitigating controls are in place and documented in a System Security Plan (SSP). By September 22, 2026, all FIPS 140-2 certificate validations will be placed on the Historical List, please refer to FIPS Transition Effort for further guidance and timeline of changes.

[17]	If this product uses a MySQL database, the product must be configured with a commercial edition of the MySQL Database, which currently has TRM constraints limiting its use for intranet and non-sensitive data only due to its many known security issues. If a commercial edition of MySQL is selected for use with this product, these factors must be considered especially when an instance of this product will be considered a Moderate or High-Risk system. See MySQL Database – Commercial Edition TRM entry for more details.

Note:

At the time of writing, version 2.93.1431 is the most current version released.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Source	Description
Other	Remote Desktop Manager online help	Publicly available	This site provides comprehensive details about Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan).

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
Systems Management Systems Management Tools	Remote Desktop Management

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

macOS - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Client - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Server - Approved w/Constraints

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Microsoft .NET Framework
Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) Server
My Structured Query Language (MySQL) Database - Commercial Editions - (required for some configurations)

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

There is no licensing fee associated with this technology.
This technology provides a single console for managing multiple systems.
This technology leverages Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) which provides Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 certified encryption for remote session connections.
This application may improve productivity for specific staff whose responsibilities include troubleshooting and maintenance of servers.
This technology has a comprehensive set of documentation.

Adoption Risks

Database connections on deleted users could stay active on MySQL data sources in Remote Desktop Manager 2022.3.7 and below which allow deleted users to access unauthorized data. This issue affects: Remote Desktop Manager 2022.3.7 and prior versions.
This product can be configured with a MySQL Commercial Edition Database, which currently has TRM constraints limiting its use to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) only due to its many known security issues on other platforms.
An information disclosure vulnerability exists in the Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) application when it improperly parses Extensible Markup Language (XML) input containing a reference to an external entity. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could read arbitrary files via an XML external entity (XXE) declaration. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker could create an RDG file containing specially crafted XML content and convince an authenticated user to open the file. This is CVE – 2020-0765.
This technology can integrate with and alter database technologies.
This technology is available as freeware. If commercial support is not purchased, the product will be without clearly defined support options which may result in suboptimal enterprise level support.
This technology involves the use Universal Serial Bus (USB) connections and proper security precautions must be taken when used.
This technology can potentially use File Transfer Protocol (FTP), an unapproved protocol.
There are known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) associated with this technology. 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.
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.

Architectural Benefits

This technology is portable as it runs on multiple TRM-approved operating systems.
This technology is compatible with virtual machines, therefore consistent with the enterprise Server Virtualize First Policy (VAIQ 7266972 08-27-2012).

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