Skip to main content

SBOM Generation and Management Tools for Software Devs

The Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) requires you to create a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) for your app or game (Annex I, Part II, point 1). Manually creating and managing an SBOM for any modern software project is impractical and error-prone. The right tools are essential.

What is an SBOM Tool?​

An SBOM tool, often part of a broader category called Software Composition Analysis (SCA), automatically scans your project's code, build files, and package managers. It identifies all the open-source and third-party components you are using and generates a structured list of these dependencies.

Key Tool Capabilities​

When looking for a tool to help with CRA compliance, consider these features:

  • Automated Discovery: The tool should integrate with your build system (e.g., Jenkins, GitHub Actions) and package managers (e.g., npm, Maven, NuGet, Pip) to discover dependencies automatically.
  • Standard Formats: It should generate SBOMs in standard, machine-readable formats like SPDX (Software Package Data Exchange) or CycloneDX. The CRA notes the Commission may specify formats later (Article 13, Paragraph 24).
  • Vulnerability Matching: The most valuable tools don't just list components; they cross-reference your SBOM against vulnerability databases (like NVD) to tell you if you're using components with known security issues.
  • License Compliance: Many tools also help with tracking the licenses of your open-source components, which is a related but separate legal concern.
  • Continuous Monitoring: The best solutions offer ongoing monitoring, alerting you when a new vulnerability is discovered in a component you are already using in your released software.
  • Open-Source Tools: Projects from organizations like the OWASP Foundation (e.g., CycloneDX tools) and standalone scanners.
  • Commercial SCA Platforms: Companies like Snyk, Veracode, Mend.io, and many others offer comprehensive platforms that combine SBOM generation with advanced vulnerability and license management.
  • Integrated Solutions: Many development platforms like GitHub and GitLab have built-in dependency scanning and SBOM generation capabilities.

Key Takeway​

Use automated tools to generate and manage your software's SBOM. Integrating an SCA tool into your CI/CD pipeline is the most effective way to meet the CRA's SBOM requirement and continuously monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities.