Computer software is a complicated construct composed of numerous diverse components. Open-source software is becoming ever more common as a building block in software. This phenomenon is accompanied by an increase in exploitable vulnerabilities, so being able to tell quickly what your software is composed of is becoming increasingly important - both in applications that you develop yourselves and the ones from suppliers and vendors.

A Software Bill of Materials – better known as an SBOM – can enhance your compliance posture. But how do you structure and operationalize it to ensure that it is helping with that objective? And how do you know if your SBOM complies with the Executive Order that mandates maintaining an SBOM?

Failing to comply with software licensing agreements can cost you. This is one of many arguments – particularly in the financial realm – that motivate organizations to be in compliance – and a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is an increasingly important tool for that goal. It’s relatively easy for an organization to obtain unlicensed software, according to UpCounsel, a legal platform that operates a network of independent lawyers.

According to OpenLogic’s Open Source Adoption and Expansion in 2022 Report, the adoption of Open Source Software (OSS) across all sizes of organizations is rising with 40% of respondents stating an increase of OSS software over the previous year and 36% reporting a significant increase in OSS software usage. The increase in OSS adoption can be attributed to a number of factors including access to the latest innovations, reduction in costs and frequent product updates.

It’s April, designated National Supply Chain Integrity month by CISA, NCSC, ONCD and Department of Defense, to promote resources, tools, and information to help organizations and agencies secure their supply chains and build resilience. But what role does blockchain play in supply chain and how easy is it to implement? Blockchain technology has numerous potential applications in supply chain due to its ability to provide a secure, transparent, and tamper-proof ledger of transactions.

Imagine this: you’re a developer working on a critical software application that thousands of people use daily. You’ve spent countless hours writing and testing code and are proud of what you’ve created. But as the application grows more complex and new features are added, you worry about potential security risks. How can you be sure that every component and dependency is secure and up-to-date? It’s a daunting task that can keep you up at night.

A Software Bill of Materials – also known as an SBOM – has emerged as another effective tool in the arsenal as organizations look to secure their supply chains. But there is currently a lack of standardization for SBOMs, making it challenging to establish a ground truth. Use of SBOMs has gained momentum since the Biden Administration’s executive order mandating that IT providers that work with the federal government must provide an SBOM to do so. This is not just a U.S.