The Reliability of SBOM Generation Tools: A Critical Examination

Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) has become a crucial component in modern cybersecurity, particularly in supply chain security. However, recent discussions suggest that the tools used for SBOM generation may not be as reliable or effective as previously assumed.

You Should Know:

1. SBOM Generation Tools & Their Limitations

Many organizations rely on automated SBOM tools to inventory software components, but inconsistencies in output formats (CycloneDX, SPDX) and incomplete dependency mapping can lead to security blind spots.

2. Key Commands & Tools for SBOM Analysis

• Syft (Generate SBOM for container images):

  syft alpine:latest -o spdx-json > sbom.spdx.json 
  

• Dependency-Track (Analyze SBOMs for vulnerabilities):

  docker run -d -p 8080:8080 --name dependency-track dependencytrack/apiserver 
  

• SPDX Tools (Validate SBOMs):

  java -jar spdx-tools.jar Verify sbom.spdx.json 
  

3. Manual Verification Steps

1. Cross-Check Dependencies:

dpkg -l  For Debian-based systems 
rpm -qa  For RPM-based systems 

2. Verify Lockfiles:

cat package-lock.json | jq '.dependencies'  For Node.js projects 

3. Compare with Vulnerability Databases:

grype sbom:sbom.spdx.json 

4. Enhancing SBOM Accuracy

• Use multiple SBOM generators (Syft, SPDX-tools, OWASP Dependency-Track) for cross-validation.
• Integrate SBOM checks into CI/CD pipelines:

  GitHub Action for SBOM generation </li>
  <li>uses: anchore/sbom-action@v1 
  with: 
  format: 'spdx-json' 
  

What Undercode Say:

SBOMs are a foundational element in securing software supply chains, but their effectiveness depends on the accuracy of generation tools. Organizations must adopt a multi-tool approach, validate outputs manually, and integrate SBOM analysis into their security workflows. The future of SBOMs may involve standardized lockfile formats (e.g., CycloneDX adoption in package managers) to reduce transformation overhead.

Prediction:

Within two years, major package managers (npm, pip, Maven) will natively support standardized SBOM formats, eliminating the need for third-party conversion tools.

Expected Output:

• SBOM Generation:

  syft alpine:latest -o cyclonedx-json > sbom.cdx.json 
  

• Vulnerability Scan:

  grype sbom:sbom.cdx.json 
  

• Dependency Validation:

  cat requirements.txt | xargs -n1 pip show 
  

Reference: SBOM Reliability Study

IT/Security Reporter URL:

Reported By: Philvenables Think – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

Join Our Cyber World:

💬 Whatsapp | 💬 Telegram