SBOMs: Critical for ICS & OT Software Visibility
NetRise founder Tom Pace highlights the critical need for SBOMs in ICS and OT, helping organizations gain software visibility and manage risk effectively.
Key Takeaways
SBOMs are rare in ICS/OT—and that’s a dangerous visibility gap:
The episode emphasises how unusual it is to get an SBOM for industrial devices/software (the “red wagon parts list vs. PLC” analogy), leaving critical infrastructure operators buying and running systems without truly knowing what’s inside.
SBOMs turn black boxes into actionable risk decisions:
Framed as an “ingredient label,” an SBOM gives a structured component list (and relationships) so teams can quickly determine whether a vulnerable component is present—improving incident response, vulnerability remediation, and overall risk assessment for OT environments.
Momentum is building—and misconceptions need to be addressed:
The page notes U.S. federal action pushing SBOM adoption (including minimum elements work), and calls out the need to correct common fears (e.g., SBOMs giving attackers a roadmap or exposing IP) so SBOMs can be generated and used effectively.