CyberSecurity Management made easier

Software Bill of Materials and Security Bill of Materials support managing CyberSecurity in many different ways. If the SBOM provides transparency in the software and hardware components, and already indicates their respective known vulnerabilities, relation to existing CVE’s and other vulnerability schemes – it will be much easier for a CyberSecurity operations team (SOC – MSSP) to identify what needs to be protected, and how. In addition, any additional reported new vulnerabilities can be easily mapped and mitigation measures can start to happen.

SBOMs are amongst the best ways for organisations to maintain the safety and authenticity of their data and procedures. They also set a precedent in the industry by increasing openness between developers, software suppliers, and clients. Organisations can safely tell partners of operational details throughout the contracting process if standards are in place. Organisations will be more successful in identifying flaws, vulnerabilities, and zero-day threats as SBOMs become more widespread. Software Bill of Materials adoption is a clear gain for software supply chain security all over the world.

CyberSecurity in the Supply Chain

By having an comprehensive and even automated posture analysis by means of the SBOM, it will be easier for suppliers and other partners in an ecosystem to inform each other about potential threats, and suggest responsive measures in a timely fashion. This way, when other partners in the ecosystem or supply chain have to rely on others, they can proactively be prepared for challenges and incidents.

Deals with Threats to Integrity

Assaults may happen at any point in a normal software supply chain, and these attacks are becoming more visible, disruptive, and expensive in today’s world. Integrity can be maintained using an SBOM by verifying that the components and files that appear in it are the same as were intended. For example, one of the components of the CycloneDX format is a hash value that can be used in the exact matching of files and components. As an SBOM is not a static document, it should be updated anytime there is a change in the described software or its components.

Allows visibility of Product Components

Companies must create client trust to generate loyalty and promote repeat purchases. Rather than assurances or promises, shared SBOMs provide enhanced visibility into the quality of the technologies they use.

Supports DevSecOps

Requiring an SBOM for all software entering your pipeline has become a common-sense best practice in this day and age. You have three options for obtaining SBOMs:

  • Gain full cooperation from the software vendor, despite whether they’re a partner of your organization, with the SBOM as part of their delivery 
  • Implement software composition analysis tools that require particular expertise 
  • Implement a container vulnerability scanning tool that enables you to generate SBOMs for the containers entering your pipeline 

Moving software bill of materials generation to the left is just another step in moving security left.

Allows for easier Vulnerability Scanning

Companies may use SBOMs to identify and eliminate vulnerabilities before they reach production. New vulnerabilities in production software can be fixed quickly. SBOMs, in the end, aid engineers in discovering and resolving security flaws more quickly.

Leverages Licensing Governance for Your Product

Software Bill of Materials adoption can help enhance software licensing governance. Every piece of software comes with a license that specifies how it may be used and distributed legally. The constituent components of a supply chain that make up a full application might have a variety of different licenses. Any business that uses the program is legally obligated to follow the licensing. There may be no way to determine what the licenses need or how to comply with them without a software bill of materials.

Create Accountability for the product

Build in SBOM accountability inside your organization:

  • Include SBOM as a requirement for contractual deliverables from your vendors and partners, making it part of new software development, updates, and patches they deliver as part of a project.
  • Establish the SBOM as a method for cross-functional team collaboration early in the project lifecycle because your contracts, finance, development, and cybersecurity teams all benefit from a well-formed SBOM to help them accomplish critical project-related tasks.
  • Deputize a developer or development team to “own” or shepherd OSS components through your DevSecOps toolchain, giving them the responsibility of generating an SBOM for each component.
  • Elevate the role of your cybersecurity team in the SBOM discussion by mandating that the SBOM serves as the basis for vulnerability scans.