Resources

Guides. Blogs. Regulations.

Find blogs, beginner guides, and compliance regulations to help you understand and implement SBOMs with confidence.

SBOM Basics

Essential knowledge for getting started with Software Bill of Materials

Software Producer

Automate the generation of SBOMs as part of the software development lifecycle, ensuring security, transparency, and compliance while enabling seamless sharing with relevant stakeholders.

Software Consumer

Automate the generation of SBOMs as part of the software development lifecycle, ensuring security, transparency, and compliance while enabling seamless sharing with relevant stakeholders.

Security & Compliance Teams

Provide security and compliance teams with the necessary tools to enforce security policies, detect vulnerabilities, and generate compliance reports based on SBOM data.

SBOM Regulations & Compliance 

Protect your software supply chain by staying up-to-date with the latest SBOM regulations and best practices to ensure security, compliance, and transparency.

As cybersecurity threats continue to rise, governments and organizations worldwide are implementing strict SBOM regulations to strengthen software supply chain security. These regulations are designed to enhance transparency, reduce vulnerabilities, and ensure that businesses take proactive measures to secure their software ecosystems.

End-to-End SBOM Lifecycle

Software Producer

(Creating & Sharing SBOMs Securely)

Goal:

Automate the generation and secure sharing of SBOMs to provide full visibility into software components, helping consumers and security teams detect vulnerabilities before they become threats.

Step 1: SBOM Generation

Every software product consists of multiple components, including open-source libraries, third-party dependencies, and proprietary code. To ensure security and compliance, software producers must automatically generate an SBOM as part of the CI/CD pipeline.

A modern SBOM generation process should:
  • Capture all dependencies and their versions in a structured format (e.g., SPDX, CycloneDX).

  • Include metadata such as authorship, supplier details, and timestamps.

  • Be integrated into the software development process to ensure every build includes a fresh SBOM.

Step 2: Augmentation

An SBOM is more useful when enriched with additional security, compliance, and integrity data, such as:

  • Cryptographic hashes to verify software authenticity.

  • License details to ensure legal compliance.

  • Vulnerability mapping (e.g., linking components to known CVEs).

  • Provenance tracking to verify software origins.

Augmenting SBOMs provides deeper insights into software security risks, helping consumers make informed decisions.

Step 3: Signing for Security & Trust

A digitally signed SBOM ensures that it remains unaltered and verifiable throughout its lifecycle.

Why this matters:

  • Prevents tampering or unauthorized modifications.

  • Builds trust between software vendors and consumers.

  • Enables automated SBOM verification before software deployment.

Step 4: Sharing with Consumers & Compliance Teams

Once the SBOM is generated, enriched, and signed, it must be securely distributed to relevant stakeholders:

  • Customers & Security Teams → Helps detect vulnerabilities before deployment.

  • Regulatory Authorities → Ensures compliance with cybersecurity frameworks.

  • Automated Security Tools → Enables real-time risk assessment.

To simplify access, software producers should provide machine-readable SBOMs via APIs, portals, or public registries.

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Trusted Sharing SQUARE
Software Consumer

(Managing & Analyzing SBOMs for Risk Mitigation)

Goal:

Ensure organizations can collect, analyze, and act on SBOM data to protect against vulnerabilities and licensing risks.

Step 1: SBOM Request

Before adopting third-party software, organizations must request an SBOM to:
  • Verify all included dependencies and assess security risks.

  • Detect outdated or vulnerable software components before installation.

  • Ensure compliance with internal security policies and legal requirements.

Organizations that require SBOMs before integrating software significantly reduce supply chain risks.

Step 2: Collection & Centralized Storage

To effectively manage SBOMs, they should be stored in a centralized repository, ensuring:
  • Fast access for security teams and compliance audits.

  • Automated scanning for known vulnerabilities.

  • Historical tracking to compare SBOM versions over time.

A well-organized SBOM repository improves risk assessment and policy enforcement.

Step 3: Automated Analysis for Security & Compliance

SBOMs should be continuously analyzed to detect security threats. This includes:
  • Cross-checking software components against vulnerability databases (e.g., NVD, MITRE CVE).

  • Flagging outdated dependencies with known exploits.

  • Ensuring licensing compliance by verifying software terms and conditions.

Pro Tip: Organizations should use automated SBOM scanners to detect risks in real-time, preventing vulnerable software from reaching production.

Step 4: Incident Response & Risk Mitigation

If a security vulnerability is identified within an SBOM, teams must:
  • If a security vulnerability is identified within an SBOM, teams must:

  • Block non-compliant software from deployment.

  • Notify developers and IT teams for immediate remediation.

A well-structured SBOM-driven security response plan ensures faster threat mitigation and minimizes exposure to cyberattacks.
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Security SQUARE
Security & Compliance Teams

(Enforcing Policies & Ensuring Regulatory Compliance)

Goal:

Enable security teams to enforce internal cybersecurity policies, assess risk, and meet compliance mandates using SBOM data.

Step 1: Policy Gateway (Automated Security Enforcement)

Before software is approved for deployment, SBOMs must be evaluated against internal security
policies to ensure:
  • No unauthorized or high-risk dependencies.

  • All components comply with legal and regulatory standards.

  • Ensure compliance with internal security policies and legal requirements.

Pro Tip: Implementing an automated policy gateway allows organizations to block unsafe software before it enters production.

Step 2: Deep-Dive Security Analysis

Compliance teams use SBOM-driven security assessments to:
  • Detect high-risk dependencies in real-time.

  • Cross-check components with global threat intelligence sources.

  • Identify supply chain weaknesses before attackers can exploit them.

Step 3: Incident Response & Continuous Monitoring

If a security incident occurs, SBOMs help teams trace the root cause and respond quickly.
Organizations should:
  • Immediately patch vulnerable components.

  • Investigate how the exploit was introduced.

  • Update security policies to prevent future incidents.

Step 4: Generating Compliance Reports

To meet regulatory requirements, organizations must generate detailed compliance reports based on SBOM data, covering:
  • Component Inventory → A full list of software dependencies.

  • Vulnerability Findings → Security risks detected within the software.

  • Mitigation Actions → Steps taken to address security gaps.

  • Regulatory Compliance Status → Adherence to laws like EU CRA, Executive Order 14028, FDA cybersecurity rules, NIS-2, and DORA.

These reports ensure organizations pass security audits and demonstrate compliance with global cybersecurity regulations.
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Compliance SQUARE

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