Whitepaper · July 28, 2025
Benefiting from Software Transparency: From SBOM to Vulnerability Management
Software bills of material (SBOM) capture software used in products. SBOMs are prerequisites to proactive product security, as well as vulnerability and risk management programs. However, extracting the full potential value of SBOMs at scale will take sustained effort, requiring tooling to overcome inherent complexities.
Executive summary
What this whitepaper covers
The healthcare industry is undergoing a digital transformation that has revolutionized how care is delivered; but also how it must be secured. This whitepaper explores how Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) can serve as the foundation for proactive vulnerability management in connected medical devices. By increasing transparency into software components, manufacturers, regulators, and healthcare delivery organizations (HDOs) can better identify, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities before they threaten patient safety. The paper also examines technical, cultural, and operational challenges to SBOM adoption and offers practical guidance for realizing their full potential at scale.
Why it matters
The regulatory and product context
Recent vulnerabilities such as Urgent/11, Ripple20, and Amnesia:33 exposed a harsh reality: most healthcare organizations cannot quickly determine which devices are affected by a given flaw. Without standardized SBOMs, vulnerability management remains reactive, costly, and incomplete. Regulatory momentum, from the FDA to the White House Executive Order on cybersecurity, makes SBOMs no longer optional. This paper clarifies why software transparency is essential for regulatory compliance, patient safety, and long-term operational resilience.
Key insights
What you’ll take away
- SBOMs are the “nutrition labels” of software — they enable informed security decisions.
- Reliable SBOMs allow faster identification of affected devices during vulnerability disclosures.
- Effective SBOM programs require tooling, automation, and cross-functional ownership.
- Regulatory pressure is accelerating adoption, making transparency a competitive advantage.
- The ultimate goal is proactive, continuous vulnerability management across the entire ecosystem.
Who should read this
- Product and software engineers designing or maintaining connected medical devices
- Regulatory and quality professionals responsible for FDA cybersecurity readiness and 524B compliance
- CISOs, product security leaders, and IT teams overseeing vulnerability management programs
- Executives and program managers seeking to operationalize cybersecurity as a business advantage
