PostgreSQL

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:	PostgreSQL is an open source object-relational database system that runs on major operating systems, including; Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows. This product is fully atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability (ACID)- compliant and has full support for foreign keys, joins, views, triggers, and stored procedures. PostgreSQL implements the majority of the Structured Query Language (SQL): 2008 standard, including; INTEGER, NUMERIC, BOOLEAN, CHAR, VARCHAR, DATE, INTERVAL, and TIMESTAMP. This product supports storage of binary large objects, including pictures, sounds, or video and has native programming interfaces for C/C++, Java, .NET, Perl, Python, Ruby, Tool Command Language (TCL), and Open Database Connectivity (ODBC). PostgreSQL natively supports a number of external authentication mechanisms including password (either MD5 [message-digest algorithm] or plain-text), Kerberos, and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)- Active Directory.
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 v23.11
Decision Date:	11/03/2023 at 03:22:49 UTC
Aliases:	Postgres; object-relational database management system (ORDBMS)
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	PostgreSQL Global Development Group

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
8.x	01/19/2005	07/30/2014	07/30/2014
9.2.x	09/10/2012	09/30/2017	09/30/2017
9.3.x	09/09/2013	09/30/2018	09/30/2018
9.4.x	12/18/2014	12/31/2019	12/31/2019
9.5.x	01/07/2016	02/11/2021	02/11/2021
9.6.x	09/29/2016	11/11/2021	11/11/2021
10.x	10/05/2017	11/10/2022	11/10/2022
11.x	10/18/2018	11/09/2023	11/09/2023
12.x	10/03/2019	11/04/2024	11/04/2024
13.x	09/24/2020	11/13/2025
14.x	06/20/2021	11/15/2026
15.x	10/13/2022
16.x	09/14/2023

Current Decision Matrix (11/01/2023)

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

CY2023

CY2024

CY2025

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

8.x

Unapproved

9.2.x

Unapproved

9.3.x

Unapproved

9.4.x

Unapproved

9.5.x

Unapproved

9.6.x

Unapproved

10.x

Unapproved

11.x

Unapproved

Divest
[14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19]

Divest
[14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20]

Unapproved

12.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19]

Approved w/Constraints
[14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20]

Approved w/Constraints
[14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21]

Divest
[14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21]

Unapproved

13.x

Approved w/Constraints
[11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18]

Approved w/Constraints
[14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19]

Approved w/Constraints
[14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20]

Approved w/Constraints
[14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21]

14.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19]

Approved w/Constraints
[14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20]

Approved w/Constraints
[14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21]

15.x

Unapproved

16.x

Unapproved

Decision Constraints


[1]	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 Security Officer (ISO) 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).

[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]	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.

[4]	Use of this technology must strictly conform to the DISA STIG guidelines for versions 9.x and VA Handbook 6500 related policies while VA finalizes an enterprise baseline. Once published in the coming months, all users will be required to conform to the new enterprise baseline.

[5]	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 Security Officer (ISO) 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).

[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]	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.

[8]	Configuration baseline and deployment standards for this technology that are maintained by Infrastructure Operations in ITOPS must be followed and adhered to unless an appropriate waiver is granted. See the reference section for more information.

[9]	Configuration baseline and deployment standards for this technology that are maintained by Infrastructure Operations in Information Technology Operations and Services (ITOPS) must be followed and adhered to unless an appropriate waiver is granted. See the reference section for more information.

[10]	VA Configuration baseline and deployment standards for this technology must be followed and adhered to unless an appropriate waiver is granted. See the reference section for more information.

[11]	VA Configuration baseline and deployment standards for this technology must be followed and adhered to unless an appropriate waiver is granted. See the reference section for more information. Users must take note that the baseline configuration has been developed solely for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) systems. Until a baseline configuration has been developed for other operating systems, PostgreSQL must only be used on RHEL systems.

[12]	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 Security Officer (ISO) 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).

[13]	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.

[14]	This technology has received one or more VA security bulletins that provide specific guidance on vulnerability patching and mitigation. It is the responsibility of VA system owners to ensure that the appropriate mitigations are taken to address all known and future discovered vulnerabilities with this product. See the Reference tab for more information on security bulletins related to this product.

[15]	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.

[16]	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.

[17]	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.

[18]	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).

[19]	Users must take note that the baseline configuration has been developed solely for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) systems. Until a baseline configuration has been developed for other operating systems, PostgreSQL must only be used on RHEL systems.

[20]	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.

[21]	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.

Note:

At the time of this writing version 16.0, 15.4, 14.9, 13.12, 12.16, and 11.21 are the latest versions

A baseline configuration of this technology was developed by the BCM team. At the time of writing, the baseline version is 14.x.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Description
Other	PostgreSQL wiki	This is a PostgreSQL wiki site that holds comprehensive technical documentation, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and language translations.
Vendor Provided*	Versioning policy	This site leads to the PostGreSQL versioning and release history.
*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
Contrib modules	These modules are installed to provide additional specialized functionality.
pgAdmin	This component is a graphical administration and management program.
pgAudit	The PostgreSQL Audit (pgAudit) Extension is an optional add-on provides detailed session and/or object audit logging via the standard PostgreSQL logging facility.
pgCrypto	The pgcrypto module provides cryptographic functions for PostgreSQL.
StackBuilder	This program assists the user in the downloading and installation of additional components and drivers that may be needed for the specific installation.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Domain Area	Category	Customer Guidance	Category Locked By ELT Date
Information Management Technologies Data Management	Object-Oriented DBMS
Information Management Technologies Data Management	Relational DBMS	Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle DB are the preferred Relational DBMS platforms in VA. Per ELT decision, all future requests for Relational DBMS technologies will be Unapproved.	1/13/2015 12:00:00 AM

NOTE: This entry has been mapped to one or more Locked categories.

Open Source

This entry is available as an open source technology.

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

CentOS Linux - Unapproved
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 technology is available through open source licensing and promotes the organization`s open source initiative.
This is a well-documented technology.
This technology may improve productivity for staff through increased functionality to tasks related to relational database management systems.
This technology is Federal Information Processing (FIPS) 140-2 compliant.

Adoption Risks

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.
This product can be configured with a PostgreSQL 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.
This product is available through open source licensing. As a non-commercial solution, there could potentially be limited support for this technology
Other approved solutions that provide similar functionality are available on the TRM. The use of several similar solutions may increase organization requirements for support and maintenance.
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 known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) associated with this technology. Please see NVD - Results (nist.gov) for more details.

Architectural Benefits

This product is portable as it runs on multiple VA approved platforms.
This technology has a secure configuration baseline developed only for use on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

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Current Decision Matrix (11/01/2023)

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

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Current Decision Matrix (11/01/2023)

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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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