SBOM (Software Bill of Materials)

Strengthening Software Supply Chain Security with SBOM & SPDX

With rising software supply chain attacks, visibility into dependencies is more important than ever. This is where Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) plays a crucial role.

? Security Audits – Quickly identify vulnerable software components

? Compliance – Align with NIST, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, SOC 2

? Incident Response – Speed up forensic analysis in case of a breach

? Software Inventory – Keep track of open-source & proprietary dependencies

But SBOM alone isn't enough! For standardization, industry leaders use SPDX (Software Package Data Exchange), a Linux Foundation project.

SPDX vs. Custom SBOM:

What's SPDX ?

SPDX (Software Package Data Exchange)

SPDX is an open standard for documenting the components, licensing, and security of software. It is widely used for SBOM (Software Bill of Materials) generation and is maintained by the Linux Foundation.

SPDX makes it easier to track software licenses, detect vulnerabilities, and maintain compliance with regulatory requirements.

Why Use SPDX?

SPDX standardizes how software metadata is shared, making it easier for organizations to:

1. Ensure License Compliance → Track open-source and proprietary licenses (e.g., MIT, GPL).
2. Enhance Security → Identify vulnerabilities by linking SBOM data to CVE databases.
3. Improve Supply Chain Transparency → Clearly document software components and dependencies.

SPDX SBOM Example (JSON Format)

A minimal SPDX SBOM file looks like this:

{
  "SPDXID": "SPDXRef-DOCUMENT",
  "name": "example-package",
  "versionInfo": "1.0",
  "creator": "Tool: MySBOMGenerator 1.0",
  "packages": [
    {
      "SPDXID": "SPDXRef-Package1",
      "name": "example-library",
      "versionInfo": "2.3.4",
      "licenseConcluded": "MIT",
      "filesAnalyzed": true
    }
  ]
}        

Should You Use SPDX for Your SBOM?

? Use SPDX if:

• You need a standard format for compliance and industry tools.
• You want to integrate with security scanners (e.g., Grype, Trivy).
• You plan to share SBOM with third parties.

? Stick to JSON SBOM if:

• You only need basic file metadata (hashes, sizes).
• You don’t need license tracking or deep package analysis.