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A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is a detailed inventory of all the components and libraries used in a software application. provides a comprehensive list of dependencies, including their versions, licenses and security vulnerabilities.
SBOMs are important at a time when systems and applications are supported by a wider software supply chain, consisting of many different third-party components. They’re crucial for understanding the composition of software, managing risks and ensuring compliance with regulations like the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC).
An SBOM is a list of components and libraries used in a software application, including their versions, licenses, and security vulnerabilities.
SBOMs improve software security, compliance, and understanding. They help identify vulnerabilities, manage licenses, and track changes.
SBOMs can be complex to create and maintain, and may expose sensitive information.
SBOMs are being used to improve software security, compliance, and understanding by identifying vulnerabilities, managing licenses and tracking changes.
What is a software bill of materials?
A software bill of materials (SBOM) is an inventory of all the components used in a software application. It provides a comprehensive list of dependencies, which gives technology teams and organizations greater transparency and confidence that the software they are using is up to date and secure.
SBOMs are particularly valuable today because of the modular nature of software — systems and applications are typically built using a range of different services and products. Sometimes this can be incredibly complex.
What’s in it for you?
There are many advantages of using SBOMs from both a technology and business perspective.
They include:
- Enhanced security and easier maintenance. SBOMs provide a clear picture of a software's components, making it easier to identify and address vulnerabilities. They help organizations proactively patch known weaknesses and mitigate risks.
- Compliance. Many regulations and standards, such as CMMC and NIST, require organizations to have SBOMs in place. By having accurate SBOMs, organizations can ensure they meet regulatory requirements and avoid penalties.
- More effective supply chain management. SBOMs offer visibility into a software's supply chain, allowing organizations to identify and manage dependencies. This helps reduce risks associated with third-party components and ensure that only trusted components are used.
- Improved governance. SBOMs help organizations understand how they use open source software, ensuring compliance with licenses and avoiding legal issues.
- Enhanced transparency. SBOMs provide transparency into a software's composition, allowing stakeholders to make informed decisions. This can be particularly important for organizations that prioritize open source or ethical sourcing.
What are the trade-offs of SBOMs?
SBOMs are an important development that helps businesses better understand their software estate, but there are nevertheless a number of drawbacks it’s important to be aware of.
Creating and maintaining SBOMs can be complex, especially for large software projects. This sometimes require significant effort and resources.
While SBOMs can help identify vulnerabilities, they can sometimes expose sensitive information about a software's components and dependencies — this information could be exploited by malicious actors.
Ensuring compliance with various licenses can be especially difficult when dealing with multiple open source components. SBOMs can help identify license requirements but may not provide solutions for complex licensing issues.
SBOMs typically focus on the components and libraries used in a software, but they may not capture other aspects of the software's composition, such as configuration settings or custom code.
Managing dependencies can be complex, especially when dealing with transitive dependencies. While SBOMs can provide information about dependencies, they may not address the challenges of managing them effectively.
The quality and completeness of SBOMs can vary depending on the tools used to generate them. Some tools may not be able to capture all relevant information or may produce errors.
How are SBOMs being used?
SBOMs are used in various industries to improve software security and compliance.
In the automotive industry, SBOMs are used to ensure the safety and reliability of software components in vehicles.
In healthcare, they’re used to help organizations comply with regulations and protect patient data.
In financial services, they help mitigate risks and ensure the security of sensitive information.
They are also widely used in government. Notably, in May 2021 the White House published an Executive Order mandating that government software systems reach certain security standards. One part of this was ensuring visibility into the software supply chain by requiring an SBOM. Such regulations are rare, but it’s likely that there will be more and more attention given to protecting the software supply chain in the years to come.
