SBOM Best Practices for CRA Readiness and Vulnerability Tracking
Guidance to produce actionable SBOMs and link them to vulnerability intelligence for CRA readiness.
Pair this with the CRA Compliance Guide for scope, and the Vulnerability Management Guide to act on findings. For overlaps with NIS2/GDPR, see CRA vs Other Regulations.
Choose a standard format
- CycloneDX (recommended): widely supported, optimized for risk and vulnerability workflows.
- SPDX: common in open-source supply chains; ensure version consistency across tools.
Automate generation in CI
Integrate SBOM generation into build pipelines for every release and component. Tag with product, version, and build metadata.
Validate and de-duplicate
Validate schema, remove duplicate components, and normalize names. Ensure package ecosystems and versions are correct.
Link SBOMs to vulnerabilities
Use a scanner or platform to correlate SBOM components to known CVEs. Prioritize by severity and exploitability.
Maintain and archive
Store SBOMs with release notes; keep historical versions for audits. Re-scan periodically and on disclosure events.