SBOM Dependency Graphs for Multi-Container Vulnerability Tracing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large software projects face numerous security risks due to the use of untrusted third-party software components within containers, which are not adequately addressed by current solutions, leading to unknown vulnerabilities and unexpected changes over time.
Innovation Solution
An integrated security analysis data structure and method for multi-container software projects, involving the generation of a software bill of materials (SBOM) that includes metadata, dependency graphs, and usage data, transforming them into a searchable data structure to identify and remediate vulnerabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If third-party software components are used in containers, then software project functionality and development speed are improved, but security risks and unknown vulnerabilities increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary security analysis by generating Software Bills of Materials (SBOM) that catalog all third-party components before deployment. Dependency graphs are constructed in advance to map component relationships, enabling proactive vulnerability identification and risk assessment before the software is deployed to production environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors and updates the SBOM and dependency graphs by querying data repositories and collecting usage data from deployed containers. This feedback mechanism tracks changes in third-party components over time, allowing the system to detect new vulnerabilities and update security assessments dynamically throughout the software lifecycle.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive security analysis of all software components is performed, then vulnerability detection capability is improved, but system complexity and analysis time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the complex security analysis task into distinct components: generating SBOM data, constructing dependency graphs, collecting usage data, and performing vulnerability analysis. Each component operates independently and can be processed separately, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive security coverage across all third-party components.
Solution Approach 2:
The SBOM and dependency graphs serve as intermediary data structures that organize and represent complex component relationships in a standardized format. These intermediaries simplify the analysis process by providing a structured view of the software ecosystem, making it easier to trace dependencies and identify vulnerabilities without manually analyzing each component relationship.
3Loss of information
If detailed metadata and usage data are collected for all components, then security tracking and vulnerability tracing are improved, but data management complexity and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The SBOM data structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it catalogs software components, tracks versions and dependencies, stores metadata about third-party libraries, and provides the foundation for vulnerability analysis. This multi-functional approach consolidates diverse data management requirements into a single standardized structure, reducing overall complexity while enhancing security tracking capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated security analysis data structure and a method for multi-container software projects. A data repository storing containers and a software bill of materials (SBOM) is queried. The SBOM includes first data describing the containers and second data describing software images in the containers. The software images include corresponding components. The SBOM further includes metadata about the containers, the software images, and the one or more corresponding components. A dependency graph, showing dependencies among the software images, of the software images is built automatically. Usage data describing usage of the containers as deployed in an enterprise system is retrieved automatically. The SBOM, the dependency graph, and the usage data are transformed into a SBOM data structure. The SBOM data structure includes a searchable data object that is searchable by: the containers, the software images, the one or more corresponding components of the software images, the metadata, and the usage data.