Evaluating the impact of VEX and SBOMs on cybersecurity risk identification and remediation versus traditional vulnerability tracking methods

Welcome reader to a 🔒 pro subscriber-only deep dive 🔒.

Brought to you by:

👣 Smallstep – Secures Wi-Fi, VPNs, ZTNA, SaaS and APIs with hardware-bound credentials powered by ACME Device Attestation

🏄‍♀️ Upwind Security – Real-time cloud security that connects runtime to build-time to stop threats and boost DevSecOps productivity

🔧 Endor Labs – App security from legacy C++ to Bazel monorepos, with reachability-based risk detection and fix suggestions across the SDLC

 📊 LockThreat – AI-powered GRC that replaces legacy tools and unifies compliance, risk, audit and vendor management in one platform

🧠 Ridge Security – The AI-powered offensive security validation platform

Forwarded this email? Join 70,000 weekly readers by signing up now.

#OpenToWork? Try our AI Resume Builder to boost your chances of getting hired!

—

Get lifetime access to our deep dives, weekly cyber intel podcast report, premium content, AI Resume Builder, and more — all for just $799. Corporate plans are now available too.

Executive Summary

Chief Information Security Officers face a critical problem: traditional vulnerability management generates false positive rates of 60-80%, overwhelming security teams while missing genuine threats in complex software dependencies. Organizations implementing Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and Vulnerability Exploitability eXchange (VEX) achieve 125-259% ROI within three years, reduce false positives by 50-80%, and cut remediation time by 70%.

The EU Cyber Resilience Act mandates SBOM compliance by December 2027. US Executive Order 14028 requires federal suppliers to provide machine-readable SBOMs. Early adopters gain competitive advantages through enhanced supply chain transparency, faster incident response, and streamlined compliance.

Traditional scanning tools treat all vulnerabilities equally, despite research showing only 3% are actually exploitable. This creates an expensive paradox: comprehensive scanning generates more noise, obscuring real threats. Organizations spend $500,000 annually investigating false positives in large enterprise environments.

SBOM provides complete software component visibility. VEX adds exploitability context. Together, they answer two critical questions: "Are we using vulnerable software?" and "Do we need to act?" Forrester studies show composite enterprise organizations achieve $2.32 million net savings over three years, with 375% improvement in signal-to-noise ratio and 20% reduction in breach probability.

Implementation follows proven methodologies. Phase 1 delivers measurable value within 90 days through pilot programs on critical applications. Technical architecture must prioritize API-first integration, automated SBOM generation, and centralized repositories. Supplier ecosystem integration requires careful contract management and vendor enablement programs.

The strategic opportunity extends beyond risk management to business enablement. SBOM capabilities enable new service offerings, enhance customer trust, and provide competitive advantages in procurement processes. CISOs must treat VEX and SBOM adoption as strategic competitive advantage rather than compliance obligation.

Subscribe to CybersecurityHQ Newsletter to unlock the rest.