Top 10 SBOM Tools to Inventory Your App Components
Published August 16, 2024.
How well do you really know your software's components? Without a clear view of all the pieces that make up your software, you're left guessing when new zero day vulnerabilities arise. In this article, we’ll review the top SBOM tools to help you understand the components of your application.
Did you know that 69% of businesses admit they can't fully track their supply chains? This blind spot can lead to severe vulnerabilities. SBOM (Software Bill of Materials) tools help solve this problem by giving you a complete inventory of your software's components, dependencies, and licenses.
What are SBOM Tools?
A Software Bill of Materials is a comprehensive inventory list of all your software components. SBOM tools automate the creation of this list, scanning your source code to identify every software component, library, and dependency, including transitive ones. SBOM tools can also include security vulnerabilities within the dependencies.
These tools integrate with build systems and package managers to track components added during the build process. They compile a detailed list with everything from third-party modules and open-source packages to proprietary code, offering a granular, transparent view of your software's build so you can effectively prioritize security vulnerabilities across your stack.
They can also analyze binary files to detect embedded components that might not be declared in the source code.
Benefits of SBOM Tools in Cybersecurity
By using SBOM tools, you gain insight into the origin, integrity, and risk profile of each component of your software, making it easier to maintain a secure and compliant software ecosystem.
In practice, this helps with vulnerability management—spotting latent risks that could be exploited if not addressed. This includes both internal and vendor-related risks, which are often the most challenging to spot. If a security breach occurs, an updated SBOM can provide critical information about the affected components, allowing for a more targeted and efficient incident response and remediation process.
SBOM tools also facilitate compliance with security standards and regulations by documenting the components and their licenses, simplifying audits and assessments. This helps you avoid the legal risks of using unlicensed or improperly licensed software. Some key regulations SBOMs can help you comply with (and demonstrate compliance) include NIST SP 800-53, HIPAA, and CCPA.
Key Features to Look for in SBOM Tools
1. Detailed metadata
You want comprehensive metadata, such as version numbers, licenses, and the code's origin. This information is your decision-making foundation, helping you determine which libraries are safe to use and which might need a second look.
2. Policy Enforcement
An effective SBOM tool should enable you to define and enforce security and compliance policies. This includes setting rules for acceptable licenses, versions, and sources for dependencies. The tool should automatically flag any components that don't meet your predefined criteria.
3. Vulnerability Management
Choose a tool that integrates with popular vulnerability databases, such as the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), OSS Index, or GitHub Advisories, and provides timely alerts about vulnerabilities in your components.
4. Integration with DevSecOps Tools
Your SBOM tool should effortlessly plug into your existing DevSecOps setup, working hand-in-hand with your CI/CD systems, security scanners, and project management tools. This smooth integration allows for continuous monitoring and enforcement of security policies throughout your development process.
Top 10 SBOM Tools for Cybersecurity
1. Syft
Syft is an open-source tool for tracking packages and dependencies across Linux distributions and container formats like OCI, Docker, and Singularity.
It's very easy to implement and generates all kinds of helpful reports. Check out our deep dive into implementing Syft to generate an SBOM, and enriching it with vulnerability data using Grype.
Best for:
Tracking Linux packages and creating software attestations.
2. Jit
Using Syft in the back-end, Jit automates SBOM creation, providing a comprehensive inventory of OSS components, dependencies, sub-dependencies, versions, and licenses. Integrated with GitHub or GitLab, it continuously updates your SBOM, maintaining transparency and compliance.
As a comprehensive ASPM platform, Jit also supports security tools like Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Software Composition Analysis (SCA), secrets detection, CI/CD security, container scanning, IaC scanning, and more. Jit provides a unique developer UX that makes it easy for developers to independently resolve security issues without leaving their environment.
Befor for:
Comprehensive software security, continuous SBOM, and resolving security issues before production
Customer review:
“The onboarding to Jit was seamless, all I had to do was give the required permissions, and we immediately had full security coverage.”
3. Fossa
FOSSA provides comprehensive SBOM management for in-house, open-source, and third-party components. It offers deep dependency analysis, flexible SBOM formats like CycloneDX and SPDX, and automatic updates. Plus, it supports open-source license management.
Customer review
“Their evaluations are highly comprehensive and detailed, and they provide information promptly as required.”
4. Tern
Tern is a lightweight open-source Python tool that generates detailed SBOMs for container images by examining each layer individually. It identifies metadata such as distribution type, package managers, and installed packages. This layer-by-layer analysis helps you understand the components and dependencies in your containers, supporting better security and compliance decisions.
Best for:
SBOMs for container images.
Customer review
“Tern can generate SBoMs in different formats. Since it understands the metadata and has a data model for container images, it could consume SBoMs of different formats.”
5. CycloneDX
CycloneDX exceeds the NTIA's Minimum Elements for SBOM and aligns with the OWASP SCVS. Unique features like VEX convey vulnerabilities' exploitability. According to their site, “Vulnerability Exploitability eXchange (VEX) is a form of a security advisory where the goal is to communicate the exploitability of components with known vulnerabilities in the context of the product in which they are used.”
CycloneDX supports various advanced SBOMs for SaaS security, cryptography, machine learning, and hardware, offering specialized insights into different aspects of your software ecosystem.
Best For
Advanced SBOM use cases.
“The CycloneDX SBOM tool is powerful for anyone looking to set up a public or private SBOM. The docker container ensures that the repo is lightweight and easy to manage.”
6. Trivy
Trivy scans for vulnerabilities in various OS packages and programming languages and supports SBOM management for CycloneDX and SPDX formats. Trivy also spots misconfigurations in infrastructure as code, offering built-in policies for Kubernetes, Docker, and more. It's quick to set up, requires very little maintenance, and integrates smoothly into CI pipelines.
Best For:
Container security use cases
7. Microsoft sbom-tool
Microsoft sbom-tool Identifies software components and gathers license information using its built-in detection libraries and the ClearlyDefined API to create SPDX 2.2 compliant SBOMs. The tool supports many artifacts and offers features like SBOM validation and redaction. It can seamlessly integrate into CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps.
“The Microsoft SBOM tool is a highly scalable and enterprise-ready tool for creating SPDX 2.2 compatible SBOMs for any variety of artifacts.”
Gain SBOM Clarity with Jit
As security threats evolve, it is crucial to have an up-to-date view of your software's components. SBOM tools offer the transparency you need to spot and address risks early.
That said, SBOM is just one of many components that make up the full breadth of today’s product security requirements, which can include SAST, SCA, secrets detection, IaC scanning, CI/CD Security, CSPM, container scanning, DAST, and more.
Jit unifies all of these controls, including SBOM, so you can implement everything needed for product security in one place.
Discover how Jit can help you stay on top of security and compliance. Visit Jit to learn more and get started for free.
