Remote Desktop Manager

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 Manager is an application for centralizing and managing system connections and credentials. This technology leverages existing technologies and third party software add-ons such as Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), Microsoft Remote Desktop, Citrix ICA (Independent Computing Architecture), RVTools, SecureCRT, HP iLO (Integrated Lights Out), SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager) Remote Control, VMware Horizon View Client, DameWare, and others. Remote Desktop Manager uses a credential repository (SQLite by default) for automated login for the various sessions it supports. The product is not Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 validated and uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm to protect local files and sensitive data in the database but supports several FIPS 140-2 validated credential storage options. This assessment covers both the Free and Enterprise editions of this technology. 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 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 This technology is available in a Free Edition and an Enterprise Edition. This assessment covers both editions and contains language geared towards each individual edition.
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 v22.6
Decision Date:	06/14/2022 at 15:55:14 UTC
Aliases:	Remote Connections
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	Devolutions

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
9.x	10/01/2013
10.x	09/22/2014
11.x	07/18/2016
13.x	12/06/2017
2.x (Free)	09/07/2016
4.x (Free)	11/27/2017
14.1.x	12/12/2018
5.x (Free)	12/14/2018
2019.1.x	08/01/2019
2020.x	02/19/2020
2021.x	03/30/2021
2022.x	03/16/2022

Current Decision Matrix (06/02/2022)

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

CY2023

CY2024

CY2025

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

9.x

Unapproved

10.x

Unapproved

11.x

Unapproved

13.x

Unapproved

2.x (Free)

Unapproved

4.x (Free)

Unapproved

14.1.x

Unapproved

5.x (Free)

Unapproved

2019.1.x

Unapproved

2020.x

Unapproved

2021.x

Unapproved

2022.x

Unapproved

Decision Constraints


[1]	Only product add-ons that comply with TRM may be used. At time of writing, several add-ons correspond to unapproved or prohibited TRM technologies. These include Putty, TeamViewer, VNC, FTP, Telnet, non-FIPS SSH and several others. If a desired add-on has not been evaluated for TRM, the end user must submit a TRM review request and the technology approved prior to use. This product is capable of storing login credentials for all systems the end user accesses. As a result, the database option used must be encrypted with a FIPS 140-2 validated technology as per VA handbook 6500 otherwise the storage of this information is not permitted. Note that the product can leverage cloud based resources for the storage of usernames and passwords. Use of cloud or vendor hosted storage for this functionality is NOT permitted.

[2]	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.

[3]	Only product add-ons that comply with TRM may be used. At time of writing, several add-ons correspond to unapproved or prohibited TRM technologies. These include Putty, TeamViewer, Virtual Network Computing (VNC), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet, non-FIPS SSH and several others. If a desired add-on has not been evaluated for TRM, the end user must submit a TRM review request and the technology approved prior to use. This product is capable of storing login credentials for all systems the end user accesses. As a result, the database option used must be encrypted with a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 validated technology as per VA handbook 6500 otherwise the storage of this information is not permitted. Note that the product can leverage cloud based resources for the storage of usernames and passwords. Use of cloud or vendor hosted storage for this functionality is NOT permitted. If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period.

[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]	Only product add-ons that comply with TRM may be used. At time of writing, several add-ons correspond to unapproved or prohibited TRM technologies. These include Putty, TeamViewer, Virtual Network Computing (VNC), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet, non-FIPS SSH and several others. If a desired add-on has not been evaluated for TRM, the end user must submit a TRM review request and the technology approved prior to use. This product is capable of storing login credentials for all systems the end user accesses. As a result, the database option used must be encrypted with a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 validated technology as per VA handbook 6500 otherwise the storage of this information is not permitted. Note that the product can leverage cloud based resources for the storage of usernames and passwords. Use of cloud or vendor hosted storage for this functionality is NOT permitted. If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. This assessment includes an Initial Product Review (IPR) completed by the VA Enterprise Security Solutions Service with the following constraints: A checklist or detailed user training must be used to inform users of security responsibilities. All equipment used for remote access solutions that process VA classified information is government owned and managed. The user must implement automated controls or train users to physically disconnect or disable NICs when no longer connect to the secure VPN.

[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]	Only product add-ons that comply with TRM may be used. All TRM unapproved software bundled with this product must be removed after installation of the product. At time of writing, several add-ons correspond to unapproved or prohibited TRM technologies. These include Putty, TeamViewer, Virtual Network Computing (VNC), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet, non-FIPS SSH and several others. If a desired add-on has not been evaluated for TRM, the end user must submit a TRM review request and the technology approved prior to use. This product is capable of storing login credentials for all systems the end user accesses. As a result, the database option used must be encrypted with a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 validated technology as per VA handbook 6500 otherwise the storage of this information is not permitted. Note that the product can leverage cloud based resources for the storage of usernames and passwords. Use of cloud or vendor hosted storage for this functionality is NOT permitted. If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. This assessment includes an Initial Product Review (IPR) completed by the VA Enterprise Security Solutions Service with the following constraints: A checklist or detailed user training must be used to inform users of security responsibilities. All equipment used for remote access solutions that process VA classified information is government owned and managed. The user must implement automated controls or train users to physically disconnect or disable NICs when no longer connect to the secure VPN.

[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]	Only product add-ons that comply with TRM may be used. All TRM unapproved software bundled with this product must be removed after installation of the product. At time of writing, several add-ons correspond to unapproved or prohibited TRM technologies. These include Putty, TeamViewer, Virtual Network Computing (VNC), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet, non-FIPS SSH (Secure Shell) and several others. If a desired add-on has not been evaluated for TRM, the end user must submit a TRM review request and the technology approved prior to use. This product is capable of storing login credentials for all systems the end user accesses. As a result, the database option used must be encrypted with a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 validated technology as per VA handbook 6500 otherwise the storage of this information is not permitted. Note that the product can leverage cloud based resources for the storage of usernames and passwords. Use of cloud or vendor hosted storage for this functionality is NOT permitted. If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. This assessment includes an Initial Product Review (IPR) completed by the VA Enterprise Security Solutions Service with the following constraints: A checklist or detailed user training must be used to inform users of security responsibilities. All equipment used for remote access solutions that process VA classified information is government owned and managed. The user must implement automated controls or train users to physically disconnect or disable NICs when no longer connect to the secure VPN (Virtual Private Network).

[10]	Only product add-ons that comply with TRM may be used. All TRM unapproved software bundled with this product must be removed after installation of the product. At time of writing, several add-ons correspond to unapproved or prohibited TRM technologies. These include Putty, TeamViewer, Virtual Network Computing (VNC), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet, non-FIPS SSH (Secure Shell) and several others. If a desired add-on has not been evaluated for TRM, the end user must submit a TRM review request and the technology approved prior to use. This product is capable of storing login credentials for all systems the end user accesses. As a result, the database option used must be encrypted with a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 validated technology as per VA handbook 6500 otherwise the storage of this information is not permitted. Note that the product can leverage cloud based resources for the storage of usernames and passwords. Use of cloud or vendor hosted storage for this functionality is NOT permitted. If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. This assessment includes an Initial Product Review (IPR) completed by the VA Enterprise Security Solutions Service with the following constraints: Use a FIPS 140-2 validated cryptographic module to secure VA sensitive data in applications developed using Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager Free Edition. All FTP and Telnet services were restricted as of August 10, 2015 to the origination IP address and destination IP address in the firewall rules and by using access control lists (ACLs). The TRM entry for Telnet has been updated to unapproved. It is advised to implement automated controls or train users to physically disconnect or disable NICs when no longer connected to the secure VPN.

[11]	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).

Note:

At the time of writing, version 2202.1.21.0 is the most current version, released 03/16/2022.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Source	Description
Vendor Provided*	Remote Desktop Manager Release Notes		Remote Desktop Manager recent version release notes and system updates.
*NOTE: Vendor provided information is subject to the accuracy of the manufacturer.

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:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This technology has a comprehensive set of documentation.
This is a mature technology.

Adoption Risks

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.
This technology can potentially use File Transfer Protocol (FTP), an unapproved protocol.
This technology can integrate with and alter database technologies.
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.
This technology has a free trial period, which carries the potential for the disruption of service delivery and inaccurate financial planning.
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.
The use of this application in FTP or Telnet mode will transmit the username and password in “clear text”, which may allow for system compromise, if the authentication parameters are captured from the network.
The enterprise edition of Remote Desktop Manager can share log-in credentials.
Endpoints that are directly connected to public networks are vulnerable to various forms of attack the longer they remain connected. A properly configured VPN adds defense-in-depth protection.
Remote Desktop Manager can manage other remote-control connections, some FIPS certified and non-FIPS certified. There is no baseline configuration or security configuration guideline developed.
Remote Desktop Manager can integrate with many different FIPS and non-FIPS certified remote-control technologies.
This technology requires Net - Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), an unapproved technology.

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).

Architectural Risks

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

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