SBOM (Software Bill of Materials)

In cybersecurity, a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is a formal, machine-readable inventory of all the components, libraries, and software dependencies that comprise a software application. Think of it as an ingredient list for software. Just as a food label lists all the ingredients in a product, an SBOM lists all the software components in a piece of software.

Here's a breakdown of its key aspects:

• Comprehensive Inventory: An SBOM provides a detailed list of all the software elements included in an application, including both open-source and commercial components.

• Dependency Mapping: It outlines the relationships between these components, showing how they depend on each other. This is crucial for understanding the potential impact of vulnerabilities.

• Machine-Readable Format: SBOMs are designed to read and process by computers, allowing for automation in vulnerability scanning, license compliance checks, and other security-related tasks.

• Standardized Formats: There are evolving standards for SBOM formats, such as SPDX (Software Package Data Exchange) and CycloneDX, which aim to provide consistency and interoperability.

• Enhanced Transparency: SBOMs increase transparency in the software supply chain, enabling developers, users, and security professionals to understand software composition better.

• Improved Security: SBOMs provide a detailed inventory and help identify potential security vulnerabilities within software. If a vulnerability is discovered in a standard component, organizations can use SBOMs to determine quickly if their applications are affected.

• License Compliance: SBOMs also help manage software licensing. They make tracking the open-source components used in an application easier and ensure compliance with their respective licenses.

ThreatNG significantly strengthens Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) security by providing a range of proactive and insightful capabilities. Here's how:

1. Empowering SBOM Creation with Robust External Discovery

• ThreatNG's powerful external discovery capabilities give organizations a head start in building comprehensive SBOMs. ThreatNG identifies an organization's digital footprint by performing external, unauthenticated discovery, revealing externally facing applications and services built from various software components.

• Example: ThreatNG effectively locates web applications and APIs exposed to the internet, providing valuable insight into the software components that constitute these applications and need to be included in an SBOM.

2. Enriching SBOMs with Context-Rich External Assessment

ThreatNG's external assessment features deliver valuable context that greatly enhances SBOM analysis:

• Pinpointing Technologies for Precise SBOMs: ThreatNG excels at technology stack identification, providing crucial information about the specific software components and libraries within an organization's applications. This detailed insight enables the creation of more accurate and complete SBOMs.

  • Example: ThreatNG accurately identifies the JavaScript libraries and frameworks a web application uses, ensuring this vital information is included in the application's SBOM.

• Proactive Vulnerability Detection for SBOMs: ThreatNG's ability to detect known vulnerabilities adds a critical security layer to SBOMs. By combining ThreatNG's vulnerability intelligence with SBOM data, organizations can swiftly determine if any of their software components have known weaknesses, enabling proactive risk mitigation.

  • Example: When ThreatNG uncovers a vulnerability in a specific version of a JavaScript library, organizations can use their SBOMs to assess their exposure and prioritize remediation instantly.

• Uncovering Code Secrets for Enhanced SBOM Security: ThreatNG's discovery of code repositories and exposed secrets further strengthens SBOM security. Since developers sometimes include software dependencies or configuration details within code repositories, ThreatNG's findings ensure these vital elements are captured within SBOMs.

  • Example: ThreatNG's ability to locate a GitHub repository containing a configuration file that specifies software dependencies ensures these dependencies are accounted for in the SBOM.

3. Providing Valuable Asset Visibility with Reporting

• ThreatNG's reporting capabilities offer valuable inventory reports, giving organizations a clear view of their external assets. While not SBOMs themselves, these reports are essential for establishing a strong understanding of the software landscape that requires SBOMs.

  • Example: ThreatNG's generation of web application reports prompts organizations to create SBOMs for each application, ensuring comprehensive coverage.

4. Maintaining Up-to-Date SBOMs with Continuous Monitoring

• ThreatNG's continuous monitoring of the external attack surface is vital in maintaining robust SBOM security. By providing ongoing surveillance, ThreatNG ensures that SBOMs remain current and accurate, reflecting the dynamic nature of software components.

  • Example: ThreatNG's ability to detect updates to a web application's JavaScript libraries triggers a review of the application's SBOM, guaranteeing it accurately represents the latest components.

5. Empowering SBOM Analysis and Security with Insightful Investigation Modules

ThreatNG's investigation modules deliver detailed intelligence that significantly supports SBOM analysis and security:

• Enriching SBOMs with Comprehensive Domain Intelligence: ThreatNG's Domain Intelligence module provides valuable information about an organization's domains and subdomains, which frequently host web applications and services built from various software components. This insight supports the creation of thorough and accurate SBOMs.

  • Example: ThreatNG’s Domain Intelligence reveals subdomains hosting applications with specific software components, directly aiding in creating SBOMs for those applications.

• Delivering Precise Technology Stack Details for SBOMs: The technology stack information gathered by ThreatNG gives security teams the precise details they need to understand the components that comprise their software, leading to more effective SBOM creation.

  • Example: When ThreatNG identifies a web application using a specific framework, security teams learn to include it and its dependencies in its SBOM.

• Providing Code Repository Exposure Details for SBOM Accuracy: The code repository exposure module delivers essential details about where software components are referenced or stored, ensuring that SBOMs accurately reflect all relevant dependencies.

  • Example: When ThreatNG locates a public code repository with configuration files, it provides the details needed to incorporate any software dependencies listed in those files into the SBOM.

6. Strengthening SBOMs with Threat Intelligence

• ThreatNG's intelligence repositories, which include data on known vulnerabilities, actively strengthen SBOM security by providing essential context for potential risks.

  • Example: ThreatNG's vulnerability data integrates seamlessly with an organization's SBOMs, enabling rapid identification of affected applications and efficient vulnerability management.

7. Enhancing SBOM Management Through Seamless Integration

ThreatNG's capabilities work exceptionally well with other security tools, creating a robust ecosystem that enhances SBOM management:

• Automating SBOM Creation and Enrichment: ThreatNG's discovery and technology stack identification features provide a strong foundation for SBOM creation and enrichment, seamlessly feeding data into SBOM management tools to automate these processes.

  • Example: ThreatNG provides a detailed list of identified software components for a web application, which an SBOM management tool can then use to generate a complete and accurate SBOM.

• Supercharging Vulnerability Management with SBOMs: Integrating ThreatNG with vulnerability scanners creates a highly effective vulnerability management workflow. The SBOM provides the component list, and ThreatNG/vulnerability scanners pinpoint vulnerabilities, enabling efficient prioritization and remediation.

  • Example: A vulnerability scanner ingests an SBOM and then uses ThreatNG's vulnerability intelligence to prioritize scanning and remediation based on the known vulnerabilities of the SBOM's components.

• Complementing SCA Tools for Comprehensive Analysis: ThreatNG's technology stack identification complements Software Composition Analysis (SCA) tools, enabling a more comprehensive analysis of software components and associated license risks.

  • Example: ThreatNG provides the initial software inventory, which an SCA tool can then analyze for open-source components and license compliance, creating a powerful synergy.

ThreatNG is valuable for organizations seeking to enhance their SBOM security posture. Its proactive discovery, insightful assessment, continuous monitoring, and rich intelligence empower organizations to create, maintain, and leverage SBOMs for improved security and risk management. By working in harmony with complementary solutions, ThreatNG streamlines and strengthens SBOM management workflows, providing a robust defense for the software supply chain.