Keep SBOM and VEX Accurate as Software Evolves
Generate, maintain, and share SBOM and VEX artifacts that reflect what actually ships and stay defensible as software, vulnerabilities, and decisions change.
Static SBOMs & VEX Go Stale the Moment They're Created
SBOMs and VEX are now expected by customers, regulators, and partners, but most teams still treat them as point-in-time deliverables.
Teams struggle because:
- SBOMs are generated from incomplete or source-only views
- Supplier SBOMs don’t align cleanly with what actually ships
- VEX decisions are manual, inconsistent, and hard to maintain
- Artifacts drift out of date as new builds and CVEs emerge
- Teams can’t confidently explain why a component is affected or not
The result is SBOMs and VEX that exist but aren’t trusted.
SBOM and VEX shouldn’t be files you regenerate under pressure. They should be living artifacts continuously derived from shipped software, exposure analysis, and documented decisions.
Finite State treats SBOM and VEX as part of an ongoing workflow—grounded in firmware and binaries, updated automatically as software evolves, and backed by evidence that holds up to scrutiny.
This is enabled by:
- A ground-truth system of record for components and vulnerabilities
- Agent OS to apply consistent reasoning to VEX decisions
- Assurance Studio to review, manage, and share artifacts with confidence
How It Works
Generate Firmware-Derived SBOMs
Start with what actually ships.
SBOMs are generated directly from firmware, binaries, and source, producing a reconciled inventory that reflects real components, versions, and relationships present in the product.
This avoids gaps caused by missing manifests, build assumptions, or supplier declarations alone.
What you get: SBOMs grounded in shipped reality, not best guesses.
Ingest and Normalize Supplier SBOMs
Consolidate internal and third-party views into a single inventory.
Supplier SBOMs are ingested, normalized, and reconciled against internally derived SBOMs. Differences are surfaced explicitly, rather than silently accepted.
This creates a portfolio-wide view of component usage across products and versions.
What you get: A consistent, unified SBOM system of record.
Tie VEX Decisions to Reachability
Move from declarative VEX statements to evidence-backed decisions.
VEX statuses are determined using reachability analysis and exploit context, not just vulnerability presence. Each decision is tied directly to:
- Specific components and builds
- Reachability rationale
- Supporting evidence
Decisions persist across releases and are automatically re-evaluated when software or exposure changes.
What you get: Defensible VEX decisions that stay current over time.
Re-Evaluate Automatically as Software and CVEs Change
Keep artifacts accurate without manual rework.
As new builds ship, dependencies change, or new CVEs are disclosed, SBOM and VEX artifacts are automatically updated. Previously “not affected” decisions are re-checked, and changes are surfaced immediately.
What you get: SBOM and VEX that remain trustworthy, not stale.
Export and Share with Confidence
Produce standardized, shareable outputs at any point.
SBOM and VEX artifacts can be exported in accepted formats and packaged with supporting evidence for customers, partners, and regulators.
Artifacts are traceable back to shipped software and documented decisions.
What you get: Fast, confident responses to external requests.
Key Focus Areas
Firmware-Derived SBOMs
SBOMs are derived directly from shipped firmware and binaries to validate component presence and relationships.
Impact: Eliminate blind spots and build trust in your SBOMs.
Supplier SBOM Ingestion and Reconciliation
Supplier SBOMs are reconciled against internally derived SBOMs, with conflicts and gaps surfaced explicitly.
Impact: Portfolio-wide component visibility without manual reconciliation.
VEX Decisions Tied to Reachability
VEX statuses are derived from reachability analysis and exploit context, with documented, reproducible justification.
Impact: VEX statements that withstand customer and regulator scrutiny.
Portfolio Consistency Across Products and Releases
SBOM structures and VEX decisions remain consistent across products, variants, and releases.
Impact: Fewer contradictions, faster response, higher confidence.
AgentOS: Consistent VEX Reasoning
AgentOS ensures VEX decisions are evaluated consistently and re-validated as inputs change.
Impact: VEX decisions remain defensible and repeatable.
What This Enables
With SBOM and VEX treated as living artifacts, teams can:
Respond faster to customer and regulatory requests
Maintain trust in shared security artifacts
Reduce manual effort and inconsistency
Avoid stale or contradictory disclosures
SBOM and VEX stop being compliance chores and start becoming signals your team can rely on.
Legacy vs Living SBOMs
See the dramatic difference between traditional SBOM management and our living lifecycle-managed approach.
Static SBOMs
- Generated from partial inputs (often source-only)
- Manually regenerated per release
- Separate, unverified supplier files
- File snapshots with no lineage
- Manual, ad hoc statements
- No visibility into what changed
- Static files, difficult to inspect
- One-off exports
- Hard to justify under scrutiny
Finite State Managed SBOMs
- Derived from firmware, binaries, and source
- Automatically updated as builds change
- Reconciled into a unified inventory
- Versioned artifacts tied to builds
- Reachability-backed, persistent decisions
- Explicit diffs across releases
- Reviewable artifacts with rationale
- Controlled, repeatable sharing
- Evidence-backed and auditable
See SBOM & VEX Lifecycle Management in Action
Generate, maintain, and share SBOM and VEX with confidence—across every release.