Our Vision for SBOMs is Dynamic
In previous posts we’ve expounded on the importance of using a dynamic rather than a static software bill of materials (SBOM), and how these SBOMs can translate into stronger cyber security. Now we want to share our vision of what a dynamic SBOM needs to be.
Rezilion’s Dynamic Software Bill of Materials, now generally available for on-premises and cloud environments, is designed to help organizations actively manage security across the entire software development life cycle (SDLC).
This is meant to be a solution that’s not limited to certain environments. To that end, one of the key capabilities of the Dynamic SBOM is that it seamlessly plugs into all software environments, from development to production, and provides real-time visibility to all software components.
How a Dynamic SBOM is Different and Essential
The platform differs from static SBOMs in that it does more than simply uncover all of the software components. It also reveals whether and how the components are being executed in runtime, providing organizations with the ability to understand where vulnerabilities exist. Even more significant, Dynamic SBOM indicates whether a particular software flaw could be exploited by bad actors.
The availability of the Dynamic SBOM comes at a good time for organizations, with the software supply chain being discussed on the national and international level as a major attack vector that potentially threatens critical infrastructure as well as public and private sector companies.
Rezilion is aiming to provide a blueprint for others in the industry to follow that acknowledges the variable and constantly changing nature of software; one that creates an easily accessible path for developers, product security and software supply chain leaders to offer secure software to customers on a regular basis.
Open source code dominates today’s software landscape, and change is a constant. With every change in code, developers can inadvertently introduce new vulnerabilities. In some cases, cyber criminals can exploit these if they are not identified and fixed quickly. That’s where having a dynamic SBOM can be helpful.
Many of the available SBOM tools are static, and fail to meet today’s security needs. They also create too much extra work for security leaders as well as product security and compliance officers. They require manual, single-point-in-time scanning to understand changes in the environment. In addition, static SBOMs yield noisy, complex outputs that make it difficult to focus on actual threats.
Furthermore, static SBOMs are limited in terms of the scope of what they can see, and are often only available in specific parts of the software stack. Within this context, delay and uncertainty result in greater risk.
Dynamic SBOM is designed to address these challenges by automating management of the SBOM. It provides a real-time inventory of an organization’s software components and their behaviors.
Among the key benefits and capabilities of the product are continuous tracking and management of the software environment as changes are being introduced; visibility of all software components across development and production, and the ability to identify known vulnerabilities associated with the software components in an SBOM.
Organizations worldwide need to be able to validate that their software is secure and free from exploitation on a continuous basis. This isn’t a new problem, but one that is now gaining lots of attention thanks to high-profile attacks and vulnerabilities.
Why the Future Must be Dynamic
With offerings such as Dynamic SBOM, organizations can take a big step toward making software more secure.
For more information, visit https://www.rezilion.com/platform/dynamic-sbom/ and to sign up for a free 30-day trial at https://www.rezilion.com/get-started/.
