# On the Way to SBOMs: Investigating Design Issues and Solutions in Practice

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.13261 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.13261/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 26 Apr 2023.

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Privacy and Copyright Protection in Generative AI: A Lifecycle Perspective](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.18252/) (2023)
- [An Empirical Analysis of Machine Learning Model and Dataset Documentation, Supply Chain, and Licensing Challenges on Hugging Face](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.04484/) (2025)
- [Blockchain-Enabled Accountability in Data Supply Chain: A Data Bill of Materials Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.08536/) (2024)
- [Beyond Embeddings: Interpretable Feature Extraction for Binary Code Similarity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.23449/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) has emerged as a promising solution, providing a machine-readable inventory of software components used, thus bolstering supply chain security. This paper presents an extensive study concerning the practical aspects of SBOM practice. Leveraging an analysis of 4,786 GitHub discussions from 510 SBOM-related projects, our research delineates key topics, challenges, and solutions intrinsic to the effective utilization of SBOMs. Furthermore, we shed light on commonly used tools and frameworks for generating SBOMs, exploring their respective strengths and limitations. Our findings underscore the pivotal role SBOMs play in ensuring resilient software development practices and underscore the imperative of their widespread integration to bolster supply chain security. The insights accrued from our study hold significance as valuable input for prospective research and development in this crucial domain.