Dragon Web Extension

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:	Dragon Web Extension is a browser extension that works alongside Dragon NaturallySpeaking. This technology enables commands that allow users to click webpage objects, such as buttons and links, by voice. Additionally, this technology enables full text control in most webpage fields and in web applications.
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 v24.6
Decision Date:	06/03/2024 at 19:06:10 UTC
Aliases:	Dragon Web for Chrome
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	Nuance

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
13.0
15.x	10/20/2016

Current Decision Matrix (05/17/2024)

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

CY2023

CY2024

CY2025

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

13.0

Unapproved

15.x

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 2, 7, 8, 9]

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

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 2, 9, 10, 11]

Decision Constraints


[1]	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.

[2]	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.

[3]	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.

[4]	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.

[5]	Users must ensure that Google Chrome is implemented with VA-approved baselines. (refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’) VA requires Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant cryptographic modules for encryption of data at rest and in transit. Ensure underlying infrastructure and application access are configured to provide FIPS 140-2 encryption for web access supporting Dragon for Chrome. The administrator or installer should ensure that Dragon Web for Chrome is obtained from the authentic Chrome webstore with 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 Office (ISO) or local OI&T representative for permission to download and use this software.

[6]	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.

[7]	Users must ensure that Google Chrome is implemented with VA-approved baselines. (refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’) This technology cannot be utilized with Google Docs or Google Drive as these technologies are prohibited for use on the VA network. Per the Initial Product Review, users must abide by the following constraints: If VA sensitive information is involved ensure underlying infrastructure and application access are configured to provide FIPS 140-2 encryption for web access supporting Dragon Web Extensions to provide the VA required FIPS 140-2 compliant cryptographic modules for encryption of data at rest and in transit. The administrator or installer must ensure that Dragon Web has 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 Office (ISO) or local OI&T representative for permission to download and use this software, as the users must have administrative permission to use it on a Web Extension for all browsers. Login credentials are secured and not stored when passing through Dragon Web Extensions. VA Solution Delivery, Desktop and Device Engineering manages the Chrome, standard configuration. The standard is based on the Chrome DISA STIG, which requires all extensions to be blocked by default. For browser plugins/extensions to be included in the national standard configuration, a request and a business justification must be submitted to Desktop and Device Engineering at the following URL: https://vaww.eie.va.gov/SysDesign/CS/dtrequests. If approved and enabled, all VA endpoint browsers will receive the extension. Therefore, all browser extensions must be evaluated to determine how each will affect the browser with all the other approved extensions as well as performance of the browser.

[8]	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.

[9]	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.

[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 both VA Handbook 6500 and VA Directive 6500.

[11]	Users must ensure that Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome are implemented with VA-approved baselines. (refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’) Per the Initial Product Review, users must abide by the following constraints: Dragon Web Extensions will require a 3rd party FIPS 140-2 (or its successor) certified solution for any data containing PHI/PII or VA sensitive information. The administrator or installer must ensure that Dragon Web has 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 Office (ISO) or local OI&T representative before downloading any software. The product must remain patched and operated in accordance with Federal and Department security and privacy policies and guidelines. Users must ensure that they have the most current version of the product as well as all necessary supporting documentation.

Note:

At the time of writing, version 15.7.0.5806 is the most current version, released 12/15/2022.

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
Collaboration and Electronic Workplace Productivity Software	Miscellaneous Productivity Tools and Utilities

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

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

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Microsoft Edge. - (required for some configurations)

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This technology enables users to use Dragon to dictate into and control web applications by using their voice.
There is no licensing fee associated with this 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.
This technology may enhance dictation and editing by automatically handling capitalization and spacing in emails and webpages.

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 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.
Dragon Web Extensions is not Federal Information Processing standards (FIPS) 140-2 (or its successor) certified.
The software is available as free download. A modified version of the software could introduce vulnerabilities to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) network.
Dragon Web Extensions has not been updated since December 2022 and it’s documentation on the vendor’s website is very out of date (still referencing Internet Explorer instead of Edge).
This technology is available as freeware. As such this technology may be without clearly defined support options which may result in suboptimal enterprise level support.
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.

Architectural Benefits

This technology is portable across multiple VA-supported platforms.

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VA Technical Reference Model v 24.7

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (05/17/2024)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

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 (05/17/2024)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

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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