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VA Technical Reference Model v 26.1

Cortex Extended Detection and Response (XDR)

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:	Cortex Extended Detection and Response (XDR) is an extended detection and response platform that gathers and integrates all security data to stop sophisticated attacks. The Cortex XDR agent safeguards endpoints from malware, exploits, and file-less attacks with AI-driven local analysis and behavior-based protection. 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 authorized by the Mobile Technology and Endpoint Security Engineering Team https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/OITMT/SitePages/MTHome.aspx 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 System Security Officer (ISSO), 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 v25.11
Decision Date:	11/17/2025 at 15:47:11 UTC
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	Palo Alto Networks
Cage Code:	N/A

Vendor Release Information

The Vendor Release table provides the known releases for the TRM Technology, obtained from the vendor (or from the release source).

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Major versions and minor versions of that Major released on or after 09/14/2022 are NOT EXEMPT. Major Versions released before 09/14/2022 are EXEMPT as well as minor versions of that Major regardless of release date.

Version	Release Date	Vendor End of Life Date	Vendor Desupport Date
7.2.x	09/07/2020
7.3.x	02/01/2021
7.4.x	05/24/2021
7.5.x	08/23/2021
7.9.x	03/19/2023
8.0.x	05/02/2023
8.1.x	06/25/2023
8.2.x	10/29/2023
8.9.x	07/20/2025

Current Decision Matrix (10/30/2025)

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 System Security Officer (ISSO), 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 VAIT 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.

Legend:

White	Authorized: The technology/standard has been authorized for use.
Yellow	Authorized 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	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a] : 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	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[b] : 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 unauthorized may be found on the Decision tab for the specific entry.
Black	Unauthorized: The technology/standard is not (currently) permitted to be used under any circumstances.
Blue	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[c] : 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 authorized 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 authorized 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.

Any major.minor version that is not listed in the VA Decision Matrix is considered Unauthorized, Conditions Required ^[a] .

Release	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4
<Past	CY2026				CY2027				CY2028				Future>
7.2.x	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]
7.3.x	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]
7.4.x	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]
7.5.x	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]
7.9.x	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]
8.0.x	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]
8.1.x	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]
8.2.x	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]
8.9.x	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required (POA&M Required)	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]	Unauthorized, Conditions Required^[a]
Note:	At the time of writing, version 8.9.0 is the most current version, released 07/20/2025.

Name	Description
No components have been identified for this entry.


Systems Management Systems Management Tools	Monitoring

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This technology has a comprehensive set of documentation.
This technology may improve productivity for specific staff whose responsibilities include cybersecurity and threat prevention.
The use of this technology may help improve the security posture of the organization.
The vendor of this technology is an industry leader in the subject matter.

Adoption Risks

The technology requires the purchase of licenses from vendor, which could potentially lead to vendor lock-in.
There are known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) associated with this technology. Please see https://nvd.NIST.gov/vuln/search for more details.
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 other authorized solutions that provide similar functionality available on the TRM. The use of several similar solutions may increase organization requirements for support and maintenance.
This technology is a scanning utility. Users must ensure scans comply with system owner guidance.
There is no indication based on either the vendor documentation or the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) that this technology is Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 compliant.
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.
System scans indicate that this technology is no longer in use within the VA network.

Architectural Benefits

This technology is portable as it runs on multiple TRM-authorized operating systems.

Architectural Risks

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

- The information contained on this page is accurate as of the Decision Date (11/17/2025 at 15:47:11 UTC).

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VA Technical Reference Model v 26.1

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (10/30/2025)

References

Technology Components

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VA Technical Reference Model v 26.1

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (10/30/2025)

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Optional Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

Architectural Risks

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VA Categories

View the VA Categorization Framework