What changed in Virtual Private Network (VPN) Security Requirements Guide V3R5V3R5 changes

Virtual Private Network (VPN) Security Requirements Guide V3R5 (2026-07-01) replaced V3R4 (2025-10-28): 1 check updated. It has 92 checks, against 92 in V3R4.

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Updated fields: Severity 1Discussion 1

Updated in V3R5 (1)

V-207247CAT IFor accounts using password authentication, the site-to-site VPN Gateway must use SHA-2 or later protocol to protect the integrity of the password authentication process.Severity, Discussion

Severity

mediumhigh

Discussion

Passwords need to be protected at all times, and encryption is the standard method for protecting passwords. If passwords are not encrypted, they can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised. Use of passwords for authentication is intended only for limited situations and should not be used as a replacement for two-factor CAC-enabled authentication. Although allowed by SP800-131Ar2 for some applications, SHA-1 is considered a compromised hashing standard and is being phased out of use by industry and Governmentgovernment standards. Unless required for legacy use, DoDDOD systems should not be configured to use SHA-2 for integrity of remote access sessions. The information system must specify the hash algorithm used for authenticating passwords. Implementation of this requirement requires configuration of FIPS-approved cipher block algorithm and block cipher modes for encryption. Pre-sharedPreshared key cipher suites may only be used in networks where both the client and server belong to the same organization. Cipher suites using pre-sharedpreshared keys shallmust not be used with TLS 1.0 or 1.1 and shallmust not be used with TLS 1.2 when a Governmentgovernment client or server communicates with non-governmentnongovernment systems.

V-207247 in V3R5

How these changes are found

Checks are matched across the two releases by V-number. A check counts as updated when DISA gave it a new rule revision (the r number in its SV-…_rule id) and its title, severity, check text, fix text, discussion, CCIs or other fields changed — the same comparison STIG Compare makes. Added checks are new V-numbers; removed checks are V-numbers V3R5 no longer has.

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