An SBOM, or Software Bill of Materials, is a complete and structured inventory of all the components, libraries, and dependencies that make up a software application. Like a list of ingredients on a food label, an SBOM provides deep transparency into the supply chain of a software product. This document lists both open-source and proprietary components, including details such as their names, versions, and licenses. SBOMs help organizations understand and manage software supply chain risks related to security, licensing, and compliance.
Why SBOMs Are So Important?
The concept of SBOMs has gained urgency due to high-profile software supply chain attacks, such as the Log4j and SolarWinds incidents. They address the lack of visibility that can leave organizations vulnerable. SBOMs are crucial for the following reasons:
Enhanced Security
An SBOM allows security teams to quickly check their applications against databases of known vulnerabilities (like CVEs). This enables faster incident response and patching of risky components.
Supply Chain Risk Managment
By providing visibility into third-party code and open-source software, an SBOM allows organizations to assess the trustworthiness of the components they use and make informed risk decisions.
Regulatory Compliance
Governments and industries are increasingly mandating SBOMs both for their software suppliers but also for end-user customers to validate and secure internal applications.
Licesne Compliance
The document tracks the licenses for all components, helping to prevent legal issues that can arise from using software with restrictive licensing terms.
Operational Efficiency
An accurate SBOM streamlines software audits and maintenance by providing a reliable, up-to-date record of an application's composition.
Iris has found that Keysight's SBOM Manager provides the most comprehensive solution for both software providers and end-user customers alike.
Keysight SBOM Manager is a modular, enterprise-grade platform that provides comprehensive visibility and security intelligence throughout the software lifecycle. It enables both software producers and consumers to manage software risks by generating, validating, enriching, sharing, and monitoring SBOMs at scale. The platform supports all software types, including firmware, containers, and packages, helping security, compliance, and engineering teams proactively address software supply chain risks. It manages both internal and third-party SBOMs, allowing for continuous vulnerability monitoring and regulatory compliance.
For end-user enterprise customers, SBOM Consumer enables them to validate and monitor SBOMs received from suppliers and vendors. It provides real-time threat visibility, SBOM structure validation, and ongoing vulnerability tracking, empowering buyers to trust the products they acquire and deploy.
