What is a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)?

Imagine buying a complex piece of furniture with dozens of parts—screws, brackets, shelves, and hinges. To assemble it confidently, you’d need a detailed manual listing each component and where it fits. 

A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is an essential manual in software development.

Supply chain attacks, like the SolarWinds and Log4Shell incidents, show us just how vital SBOMs are. These attacks highlighted how even a tiny weakness in one software component can cascade through the supply chain, putting entire systems and user data at risk. 

However, with an SBOM, developers and organizations can see the building blocks of their software, allowing them to better identify and mitigate risks proactively.

What is a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)?

A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is a comprehensive inventory that outlines all components, open-source or proprietary, within software. It’s an instruction manual—a list of “parts,” including dependencies, libraries, frameworks, and versions.

An SBOM acts as a roadmap, helping organizations understand each software component's origins, licensing, and vulnerabilities. It answers critical questions like:

• What components are included in this software?
• Are these components up-to-date and secure?
• Do they comply with licensing requirements?

By providing visibility, SBOMs improve the management of components across the development lifecycle—and across teams—by creating a standardized framework to be used by development, security, operations, and compliance teams. 

Benefits of SBOMs

Once your teams have a clear, detailed view of your software components, you can proactively address vulnerabilities, maintain compliance, and streamline development workflows. 

Increased Transparency in the Software Supply Chain

An SBOM acts like a detailed inventory of your software’s building blocks. It offers unparalleled transparency by identifying where each component originated, how it interacts with others, and whether it aligns with security and compliance standards. 

This visibility empowers teams to uncover issues like outdated dependencies or misaligned configurations before they escalate into more significant problems.

For instance, if a vulnerability arises, an SBOM can instantly pinpoint which components are impacted, streamlining the remediation process and reducing response times. 

Beyond security, this insight improves team collaboration by establishing a shared understanding of software assets.

Enhanced Security and Risk Management

SBOMs take vulnerability management from reactive to proactive. Security teams can prioritize patches and updates more effectively with a clear breakdown of dependencies and associated risks. The ability to identify at-risk components linked to Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) ensures faster remediation, reducing the attack surface.

But SBOMs don’t just stop at fixing vulnerabilities—they also support long-term security strategies by helping organizations track trends. These insights allow teams to shift from firefighting vulnerabilities to building resilient, future-proof systems.

Easier Identification of Vulnerabilities and Licensing Issues

An SBOM makes keeping track of outdated or vulnerable components significantly easier. SBOMs enable you to see which components are affected by CVEs or lack proper security patches. This can help teams take immediate action to secure their systems.

Additionally, SBOMs simplify compliance with licensing requirements by documenting the licenses for all open-source and proprietary components. Taking these steps helps your team decrease the risk of intellectual property violations or legal penalties. This is particularly paramount for organizations that rely heavily on open-source software.

Regulatory Compliance

As regulatory bodies tighten cybersecurity mandates, SBOMs become a cornerstone of regulatory compliance. Key regulations and initiatives that recommend or require SBOMs include:

• U.S. Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity: Mandates SBOMs for software used in federal systems.
• NIST Guidelines: Promote SBOMs as a best practice for mitigating software supply chain risks.
• European Union Cybersecurity Mandates: Stress the importance of SBOMs for ensuring compliance with data protection laws like GDPR.

From enhancing transparency to ensuring regulatory compliance, SBOMs provide actionable insights that empower teams to identify and act on risks before they escalate. Whether safeguarding your supply chain against threats or maintaining licensing integrity, the benefits of using an SBOM are real and palpable.

Challenges in Implementing SBOMs

Organizations face several hurdles in SBOM implementation:

• Generating accurate and comprehensive SBOMs: Modern applications often combine proprietary code, open-source components, and third-party libraries. Mapping every dependency, version, and license—especially with nested or multi-layered relationships—can be technically complex and often remain incomplete.
  
  
• Managing open-source and third-party components: Rapid updates in open-source projects and limited visibility into third-party vendor components make ensuring secure and thorough documentation challenging. Information gaps hinder vulnerability detection and compliance efforts.
  
  
• Keeping SBOMs synchronized with updates: Frequent software changes demand constant SBOM updates, which are time-intensive when done manually and require careful automation in CI/CD pipelines. Outdated SBOMs increase the risk of missed vulnerabilities and compliance issues.
  
  
• Perceived complexity and overhead: Teams often believe SBOMs slow workflows and decrease productivity. Usually based on misconceptions, this resistance can stall implementation and leave software vulnerable.

Components of a Comprehensive SBOM

An SBOM must include key elements that offer visibility, accountability, and security across the software lifecycle.

1. Package name: Identifies libraries, frameworks, or dependencies and is the foundation for tracking vulnerabilities or licensing requirements.
   
   
2. Version number: Pinpoints the exact state of a component, allowing teams to assess updates, patches, and compatibility.
   
   
3. License information: Clarifies licensing terms (e.g., permissive, copyleft, or proprietary) to help avoid legal risks.
   
   
4. Dependencies: Maps direct and transitive dependencies, providing insight into interactions and potential risks within the software stack.
   
   
5. Author information: Traces component origins to improve collaboration with maintainers.
   
   
6. Hash or checksums: Verifies component integrity and authenticity, protecting against tampering and supply chain attacks.

These elements provide a comprehensive view of a software application’s makeup. They empower development, security, and compliance teams to collaborate effectively, reduce risks, and maintain transparency throughout the software supply chain.

How to Generate an SBOM

Generating an effective SBOM takes some work.

Choose the Right Tool

Selecting the right tool is the first step in generating an SBOM.

Syft is a powerful tool that generates SBOMs for container images and filesystems, offering support for CycloneDX and SPDX formats.

CycloneDX CLI designs SBOMs in the CycloneDX format and integrates well with modern development workflows.

SPDX tools generate SBOMs in the widely recognized SPDX format, ensuring compatibility with global compliance standards.

When choosing a tool, consider compatibility with your existing software ecosystem and the ability to output in standard formats like SPDX or CycloneDX. 

Integrate With Your Build Pipeline

Automation is critical to ensuring SBOMs stay current. Integrating SBOM generation into your CI/CD pipeline allows you to automatically produce updated SBOMs with every build, reducing the risk of outdated or incomplete documentation.

Add SBOM tools like Syft or CycloneDX CLI to your build pipeline to generate an SBOM as part of the build process.

Use CI/CD platforms such as Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, or GitHub Actions to run SBOM generation scripts during each code commit or build event.

This approach ensures that your SBOM evolves alongside your software, reflecting every dependency change or new version added.

Verify the SBOM

Confirm that all software components, including transitive dependencies, are documented. Ensure that version numbers accurately reflect the current state of the software stack.

Use hashes or checksums to confirm the authenticity of each listed component.

Automate Updates

Configure tools like GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or GitLab CI/CD to regenerate SBOMs whenever a code or dependency changes occur.

Use scheduled jobs to refresh SBOMs periodically, ensuring that any overlooked changes are captured.

Set up alerts to notify of changes to critical components or dependencies identified in the SBOM.

Automating updates allows you to maintain an accurate and current SBOM without adding significant overhead to the development process.

Integrating SBOMs Into Vulnerability Management

Facilitate vulnerability detection by ensuring no component is overlooked during scans. SBOMs list all dependencies and align with databases like the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) to pinpoint components with known CVEs.

Enhance vulnerability scanning tools such as Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) by supplying a structured inventory of components for more accurate and targeted scans.

Track and remediate vulnerable components by documenting software dependencies, helping prioritize patching efforts, and assessing risks. Automated updates to SBOMs ensure precise tracking and proactive remediation.

Best Practices for Maintaining an Effective SBOM

You’ve generated your SBOM. Now what? Maintaining a reliable and accurate SBOM requires proactive management and integration into your development processes.

Regularly update during the SDLC: Ensure the SBOM is updated with every code change, new dependency, or software release. This continuous updating ensures the SBOM accurately reflects your software's current state, minimizing the risk of overlooking vulnerabilities or licensing issues in outdated components.

Review regulatory requirements to stay current with global regulations increasingly mandating SBOMs as part of secure development practices. 

Automate SBOM generation and management to streamline updates during each build and deployment by incorporating SBOM generation into CI/CD pipelines. Tools like GitHub Actions or Jenkins can automate SBOM creation, reducing manual effort and maintaining consistency.

Integrate with DevSecOps practices by embedding SBOMs into your DevSecOps workflows.

This helps you detect and address vulnerabilities earlier in the pipeline and maintain an up-to-date inventory of software components.

Codacy’s Support for SBOMs and Security Management

Codacy offers a robust suite of security features designed to help organizations maintain a secure and efficient development process.

Building on this foundation, Codacy’s upcoming SBOM scanning feature will add another layer of protection by enabling teams to maintain accurate, up-to-date inventories of software components. 

Ready to strengthen your security practices? Explore Codacy’s security solutions today to discover how we can help you adopt and maintain a proactive approach to cybersecurity. Learn more at  Codacy Security or sign up for a free trial today.