An SBOM, or Software Bill of Materials, is a list of all the components that make up a piece of software and their associated metadata, such as version numbers, licenses, and vulnerabilities. This information can be used to identify potential security risks in software and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
An SBOM can include information about the software's source code, libraries, frameworks, and other dependencies, as well as any external components that are integrated into the software. By providing detailed information about the software's makeup, an SBOM can help organizations make informed decisions about how to manage, update, and secure the software.
SBOM is particularly important when dealing with open source software, as it allows organizations to understand the origins and licenses of the code they're using, and to identify and address any vulnerabilities that may exist. With the growing use of open-source software, organizations have become increasingly concerned about managing the security and compliance risks associated with it.
The SBOM can be generated from a number of different tools and methods such as, static analysis of the code, scanning of the binary files, or inspecting the package management systems. This process can be automated using tools that can help to generate an SBOM in near real-time.
Overall, an SBOM provides the stakeholders, such as security teams, developers, or compliance teams, with a detailed view of the software they're dealing with, allowing them to identify and mitigate risks, and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.