SCA vs. SBOM: How They Compare and What to Do with Each One

Appsec Knowledge Center

SCA vs. SBOM: How They Compare and What to Do with Each One

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Summary

“SCA finds vulnerabilities and malware in code from open-source. SBOMs are an inventory list of your code components, which can be automatically generated by SCA solutions. Both help ensure enterprise application security.”

SCA is an active, ongoing solution that helps enterprises manage and remediate security and licensing risks by identifying vulnerabilities, malware and licensing issues in open-source components. SBOM, on the other hand, is a static document that provides full transparency into the components used within a software product, supporting compliance and supply chain risk management but not offering the dynamic discovery that SCA does. Both of them can support your enterprise application security efforts. Below, we detail the differences and what you can expect to obtain from each one.

What is SCA?

SCA definition: SCA, or Software Composition Analysis, is a cybersecurity solution that automatically identifies security and licensing issues in open-source and third-party components within an application’s codebase. This includes vulnerabilities, malicious code, licensing issues and outdated dependencies. By analyzing the composition of software, SCA tools help ensure that enterprise applications utilizing third-party code components remain secure, compliant and up-to-date, helping to mitigate risks associated with using third-party and open-source code.

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An Introduction to Software Composition Analysis (SCA)

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What is SBOM?

SBOM definition: SBOM, or Software Bill of Materials, is a detailed inventory of the code components, libraries and dependencies used in building an enterprise software application, including open-source and third-party components. It provides transparency by listing all the open-source and proprietary elements, including their versions and potential vulnerabilities and relationships. SBOMs help organizations identify risks, ensure compliance with licensing, and respond swiftly to vulnerabilities. SBOMs are becoming increasingly important in security and regulatory requirements, as they enhance visibility and trust in software products.

SCAs and SBOMs are related to each other:

  • SBOMs can be generated during the SCA scanning process.
  • SCAs use SBOMs to assist with the scanning and vulnerability identification process.

SCA vs. SBOM: Key Differences

SCA solutions and SBOMs are both used to help ensure enterprise application security, but they are not the same thing. Here’s the software composition analysis vs. software bill of materials comparison:

Purpose and Functionality

  • SCA – Detects vulnerabilities, malware and licensing issues in open-source software (OSS) and other third-party components, and may provide remediation suggestions. Using an SCA solution is an ongoing process that helps organizations manage and remediate security and licensing risks.
  • SBOM – Provides a transparent inventory list of all components used in an enterprise software application, both proprietary and third-party/OSS. SBOMs help address regulatory compliance requirements, supply chain security challenges, risk assessment and incident response.

Codebase Scope

  • SCA – Usually focuses on open-source components and their dependencies.
  • SBOM – Covers both open-source and proprietary components.

Usage Frequency

  • SCA – Dynamic, continuous analysis during the development, deployment and post-deployment stages
  • SBOM – Static, one-time or periodic documentation. It’s recommended to automatically and periodically update the SBOM by integrating the SCA tool with CI/CD platforms.

Vulnerability and Malware Detection 

  • SCA – Yes, identifies known vulnerabilities in components. Some SCA tools offer malware and malicious package identification as well.
  • SBOM – No, it does not detect vulnerabilities but is a supportive tool for identifying affected components and exploitability when risks become known. In fact, an SBOM is a key tool for patch management and incident response.

License Compliance Detection

  • SCA – Actively checks for and alerts on non-compliant license issues.
  • SBOM – Does not actively check, but provides a record for compliance checks.

Monitoring

  • SCA – Continuous monitoring with proactive alerts.
  • SBOM – No continuous monitoring; it’s a snapshot of a specific moment in time.

Remediation

  • SCA – Offers suggestions for fixing vulnerabilities or updating components 
  • SBOM –  No remediation capability, but provides the component list, which can be used to identify exploitable components and fix them. For this reason, it’s also important to create a plan for how to use an SBOM in the organization, when an OSS package is determined to contain a vulnerability or malware.

Compliance & Regulatory Use

  • SCA – Often used as a security tool but not directly tied to compliance regulations 
  • SBOM –  Increasingly required by regulatory bodies. For example, in May 2021, the importance of the SBOM was emphasized in the US government’s Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.
SCA SBOM
Functionality Identifies vulnerabilities, malware and licensing issues in OSS and third-party components and guides remediation Inventory list of all components in an enterprise software application
Codebase OSS and other third-party components The entire codebase
Frequency Ongoing Periodic
Vulnerability and Malware Detection Yes No
License Compliance Detection Yes Support
Monitoring Continuous No
Remediation Yes Support
Required for Compliance  No Yes

SCA vs. SBOM: How They Complement Each Other

SCA and SBOMs provide different security controls, but they complement each other and enhance an enterprise’s security posture:

  • SCA tools can create an SBOM based on their scans, including components, licenses and versions.
  • SCA tools can use SBOMs to help identify vulnerabilities and malware, by analyzing the components with external databases and the vendor’s internal research.

In other words, an SBOM provides the foundation for understanding what components exist, while SCA continuously monitors those components for OSS security risks and compliance issues.

Learn more about the Checkmarx approach to SCA and SBOMs.