The Importance of Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) in Open Source Security

by Martin Gilje Jaatun (original article by Silje Marie Sørlien, available here)

According to a 2021 Linux Foundation survey, 98% of participants belonged to organizations that, in one way or another, used open-source components in their products. While building software with open-source tools or libraries has clear advantages, it also introduces vulnerabilities that can be challenging to monitor.

Today, there are several tools and services aimed at helping monitor potential vulnerabilities related to open-source components. These tools scan source code and generate overviews of dependencies, identify vulnerabilities, and provide mitigation suggestions where possible. They can also monitor vulnerability databases and notify users if new vulnerabilities are linked to the project’s dependencies. These services are useful for development teams during both the development phase and after publication. However, this information is inaccessible to users without access to the source code, making it difficult for them to find sufficient information about software content and potential vulnerabilities. To enhance transparency of software content, the Software Bill οf Materials (SBOM) has been developed.

Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)

A widely used analogy is that an SBOM is the software equivalent of a food product’s nutrient content list. An SBOM is a standardized list of components, modules, and libraries used in a project to ensure transparency about dependencies in software where the source code is not available to users. This list can be used to check dependencies against vulnerability databases, for example, by using services like Snyk or tools such as OWASP’s dependency-check.

In 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order requiring all federal agencies to follow applicable software guidelines in the United States; “… Such guidance shall include standards, procedures, or criteria regarding: … (vii) providing a purchaser a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) for each product directly or by publishing it on a public website;”. The order specified that within 60 days, the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and the Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, would publish minimum elements for an SBOM. This indicates that there will be minimum requirements for what an SBOM should contain, at least in the US. The survey revealed that participants were missing a standard, suggesting this could be the start of an industry-wide standard for SBOM. There are currently three competing SBOM formats: SPDX from the Linux Foundation, CycloneDX from OWASP, and SWID as defined in ISO/IEC 19770-2.

Future outlook

In the same survey conducted by the Linux Foundation, participants noted that SBOMs have benefits beyond making it easier to monitor vulnerabilities related to application components. SBOMs can also increase awareness and understanding of risks associated with project dependencies and highlight the importance of managing vulnerabilities outside the development team.

FOSSA summarizes the survey with six points:

  1. The presidential order has had an effect.
  2. Software supply chain security requires multiple solutions.
  3. Security is not the only benefit of SBOM.
  4. It is still early in the development phase for SBOM.
  5. Machine readability and dependency depth are the most important needs for SBOM.
  6. “Open Source” is everywhere.

This article suggests that the use of SBOMs is increasing and that the future prospects for an industry-wide standard for SBOM are promising. However, there are still shortcomings regarding format, frequency of regeneration, and depth of dependency trees. Some of these issues can be attributed to the fact that the SBOM concept is still relatively new.

 

Short bio: Martin Gilje Jaatun is a Senior Scientist at SINTEF Digital in Trondheim, Norway. He graduated from the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) in 1992, and received the Dr.Philos degree in critical information infrastructure security from the University of Stavanger in 2015. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Stavanger, and is section chair/editor of the Springer Journal of Cloud Computing, associate editor of IEEE Industrial Electronics Magazine, and associate editor of the Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy. Previous positions include scientist at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), and Senior Lecturer in information security at the Bodø Graduate School of Business. His research interests include software security, security in cloud computing, and security of critical information infrastructures. He is vice chairman of the Cloud Computing Association (Cloud Computing Association), vice chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Cloud Computing (TCCLD), an IEEE Computer Society Distinguished Visitor, an IEEE Computer Society Distinguished Contributor, and a Senior Member of the IEEE.

European Cyber Security Community Initiative (ECSCI)

The European Cyber Security Community Initiative (ECSCI) brings together EU-funded cybersecurity research and innovation projects to foster cross-sector collaboration and knowledge exchange. Its aim is to align technical and policy efforts across key areas such as AI, IoT, 5G, and cloud security. ECSCI organizes joint dissemination activities, public workshops, and strategic dialogue to amplify the impact of individual projects and build a more integrated European cybersecurity landscape.

Supported by the European Commission, ECSCI contributes to shaping a shared vision for cybersecurity in Europe by reinforcing connections between research, industry, and public stakeholders.

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European Cluster for Cybersecurity Certification

The European Cluster for Cybersecurity Certification is a collaborative initiative aimed at supporting the development and adoption of a unified cybersecurity certification framework across the European Union. Bringing together key stakeholders from industry, research, and national authorities, the cluster facilitates coordination, knowledge exchange, and alignment with the EU Cybersecurity Act.

Its mission is to contribute to a harmonized approach to certification that fosters trust, transparency, and cross-border acceptance of cybersecurity solutions. The cluster also works to build a strong stakeholder community that can inform and support the work of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and the future European cybersecurity certification schemes.

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CertifAI

CertifAI is an EU-funded project aimed at enabling organizations to achieve and maintain compliance with key cybersecurity standards and regulations, such as IEC 62443 and the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), across the entire product development lifecycle. Rather than treating compliance as a one-time activity or post-development task, CertifAI integrates compliance checks and evidence collection as continuous, embedded practices within daily development and operational workflows.

The CertifAI framework provides structured, practical guidance for planning, executing, and monitoring compliance assessments. It supports organizations in conducting gap analyses, building compliance roadmaps, collecting evidence, and preparing for formal certification. The methodology leverages best practices from established cybersecurity frameworks and aligns with Agile and DevSecOps principles, enabling continuous and iterative compliance checks as products evolve.

A central feature of CertifAI is the use of automation and AI-driven tools—such as Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems and Explainable AI—to support the interpretation of complex requirements, detect non-conformities, and generate Security Assurance Cases (SAC) with traceable evidence. The approach is organized into five main phases: preparation and planning, evidence collection and mapping, assessment execution, reporting, and ongoing compliance monitoring.

CertifAI’s methodology is designed to be rigorous yet adaptable, offering organizations a repeatable process to proactively identify, address, and document compliance gaps. This supports organizations not only in meeting certification requirements, but also in embedding a culture of security and compliance into daily practice.

Ultimately, CertifAI’s goal is to make compliance and security assurance continuous, transparent, and integrated, helping organizations efficiently prepare for certification while strengthening their overall cybersecurity posture.

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DOSS

The Horizon Europe DOSS – Design and Operation of Secure Supply Chain – project aims to improve the security and reliability of IoT operations by introducing an integrated monitoring and validation framework to IoT Supply Chains.

DOSS elaborates a “Supply Trust Chain” by integrating key stages of the IoT supply chain into a digital communication loop to facilitate security-related information exchange. The technology includes security verification of all hardware and software components of the modelled architecture. A new “Device Security Passport” contains security-relevant information for hardware devices and their components. 3rd party software, open-source applications, as well as in-house developments are tested and assessed. The centrepiece of the proposed solution is a flexibly configurable Digital Cybersecurity Twin, able to simulate diverse IoT architectures. It employs AI for modelling complex attack scenarios, discovering attack surfaces, and elaborating the necessary protective measures. The digital twin provides input for a configurable, automated Architecture Security Validator module which assesses and provides pre-certification for the modelled IoT architecture with respect of relevant, selectable security standards and KPIs. To also ensure adequate coverage for the back end of the supply chain the operation of the architecture is also be protected by secure device onboarding, diverse security and monitoring technologies and a feedback loop to the digital twin and actors of the supply chain, sharing security-relevant information.

The procedures and technology will be validated in three IoT domains: automotive, energy and smart home.

The 12-member strong DOSS consortium comprises all stakeholders of the IoT ecosystem: service operators, OEMs, technology providers, developers, security experts, as well as research and academic partners.

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EMERALD: Evidence Management for Continuous Compliance as a Service in the Cloud

The EMERALD project aims to revolutionize the certification of cloud-based services in Europe by addressing key challenges such as market fragmentation, lack of cloud-specific certifications, and the increasing complexity introduced by AI technologies. At the heart of EMERALD lies the concept of Compliance-as-a-Service (CaaS) — an agile and scalable approach aimed at enabling continuous certification processes in alignment with harmonized European cybersecurity schemes, such as the EU Cybersecurity Certification Scheme for Cloud Services (EUCS).

By focusing on evidence management and leveraging results from the H2020 MEDINA project, EMERALD will build on existing technological readiness (starting at TRL 5) and push forward to TRL 7. The project’s core innovation is the development of tools that enable lean re-certification, helping service providers, customers, and auditors to maintain compliance across dynamic and heterogeneous environments —including Cloud, Edge, and IoT infrastructures.

EMERALD directly addresses the critical gap in achieving the ‘high’ assurance level of EUCS by offering a technical pathway based on automation, traceability, and interoperability. This is especially relevant in light of the emerging need for continuous and AI-integrated certification processes, as AI becomes increasingly embedded in cloud services.

The project also fosters strategic alignment with European initiatives on digital sovereignty, supporting transparency and trust in digital services. By doing so, EMERALD promotes the adoption of secure cloud services across both large enterprises and SMEs, ensuring that security certification becomes a practical enabler rather than a barrier.

Ultimately, EMERALD’s vision is to provide a robust, flexible, and forward-looking certification ecosystem, paving the way for more resilient, trustworthy, and user-centric digital infrastructures in Europe.

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SEC4AI4SEC

Sec4AI4Sec is a project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101120393.

This project aims to create a range of cutting-edge technologies, open-source tools, and new methodologies for designing and certifying secure AI-enhanced systems and AI-enhanced systems for security. Additionally, it will provide reference benchmarks that can be utilized to standardize the evaluation of research outcomes within the secure software research community.

The project is divided into two main phases, each with its own name.

·       AI4Sec – stands for using artificial intelligence in security. Democratize security expertise with an AI-enhanced system that reduces development costs and improves software quality. This part of the project improves via AIs the secure coding and testing.

·       Sec4AI –  involves AI-enhanced systems. These systems also have risks that make them vulnerable to new security threats unique to AI-based software, especially when fairness and explainability are essential.

The project considers the economic and technological impacts of combining AI and security.

The economic phase of the project focuses on leveraging AI to drive growth, productivity, and competitiveness across industries. It includes developing new business models, identifying new market opportunities, and driving innovation across various sectors. 

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