CAST emphasizes the critical importance of software bill of materials (SBOMs) for software development, security, and compliance. The increasing number of attacks on software supply chains has prompted government entities and enterprises worldwide to require SBOMs as a standard practice. Open source software components are commonly used, but they introduce risks such as security vulnerabilities, intellectual property and licensing issues, and technology obsolescence. SBOMs provide an inventory of all the components within a piece of software, similar to a cargo manifest for a ship. The licensing risk associated with open source components is often misunderstood, as certain licenses may require the entire software system to be shared publicly if a specific component uses a copyleft license like GPL. The adoption of SBOMs helps control these risks, as evidenced by the US government's executive order mandating their use when purchasing software from vendors.
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