How to Conduct a Software Supply Chain Risk Assessment in 5 Steps

Software supply chain security has become a critical concern for organizations that want to ensure the integrity, reliability, and compliance of their digital products. High-profile supply chain attacks like SolarWinds have magnified the importance of rigorous risk assessment practices. In today’s DevOps-driven and cloud-centric environments, third-party dependencies, open-source components, and complex CI/CD workflows can introduce vulnerabilities at every stage of development. This post provides a step-by-step guide for conducting a software supply chain risk assessment, leveraging industry best practices and frameworks such as NIST’s SSDF, SLSA, and CIS Controls.

Step 1: Inventory and Map Your Supply Chain Components

The first step in any supply chain risk assessment is understanding what you’re working with. Today’s software is rarely written from scratch; it relies heavily on libraries, frameworks, containers, APIs, and infrastructure services—many originating outside your organization.

Actions:

• Generate a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM): Use tools like Syft, CycloneDX, or SPDX to automatically list all dependencies, including transitive ones.

  syft packages:npm .
  

• Identify Sources and Types: Document where each component comes from (e.g., vendor, open-source project, internal team) and categorize them (application, infrastructure, runtime, etc.).
• Map Supply Chain Relationships: Visualize relationships between components, suppliers, and deployment environments. Tools like OWASP Dependency-Track can assist with mapping and monitoring.

Best Practices:

• Maintain a continuously updated inventory.
• Link SBOMs to asset management systems.
• Ensure SBOMs are generated and updated at build time in your CI/CD workflows.

Step 2: Assess Supplier and Component Trustworthiness

Not all suppliers and components are equal. Assessing the trust and security posture of your vendors, repositories, and OSS projects can help prioritize which parts of your supply chain deserve heightened scrutiny.

Actions:

• Evaluate Supplier Security Practices: Request documentation on supplier security controls (ISO 27001, SOC 2, SLSA attestation).
• Check for Vulnerability Disclosure Policies: Suppliers should have a clear process for reporting and addressing vulnerabilities.
• Review Project Activity & Governance: For open-source, look for regular updates, active maintainers, and transparent governance.
• Leverage SLSA Framework: Use the SLSA maturity model to assess integrity guarantees on build pipelines and provenance.

Best Practices:

• Prefer suppliers/projects with transparent release processes and public security statements.
• Discontinue or isolate components from decommissioned or poorly maintained sources.

Step 3: Identify and Analyze Vulnerabilities

With your supply chain mapped and suppliers evaluated, the next stage is vulnerability analysis across every component.

Actions:

• Automated Vulnerability Scanning: Integrate tools such as Trivy, Grype, or Snyk into CI/CD pipelines to detect known CVEs and configuration flaws. Example:

  trivy fs .
  

• Dependency Management: Use tools like Renovate or Dependabot to keep dependencies updated, reducing exposure to published vulnerabilities.
• Static and Dynamic Scanning: Combine SAST, DAST, and container scans for a holistic view.

Best Practices:

• Set up policies for automatic fail/build cancellation on critical findings.
• Regularly review vulnerability reports and prioritize remediation based on exploitability and business impact.
• Cross-reference findings with authoritative sources (NVD, Exploit Database).

Step 4: Evaluate Security Controls and Compliance Status

Assess existing controls that protect supply chain integrity and verify alignment with industry compliance requirements.

Actions:

• Map Against Standards: Compare your current controls to frameworks like NIST SSDF, CIS Controls, or ISO 27001.
• Evaluate CI/CD Security: Ensure build servers, source repositories, and artifact stores have tight access controls, least privilege, and strong authentication.
• SBOM Policy Enforcement: Require SBOM generation and signature before deployment (example leveraging Perspicax Suite or CycloneDX).

Best Practices:

• Perform regular audits of access logs and build environments.
• Enforce reproducible builds using verified sources and signed artifacts.
• Consider adopting Zero Trust principles—no implicit trust between components.

Step 5: Quantify Risk and Prioritize Mitigation Actions

Transform identified issues and control gaps into concrete risk ratings, and develop actionable remediation plans.

Actions:

• Risk Scoring: Use quantitative risk matrices (likelihood vs. impact) or qualitative assessments to classify risks.
• Prioritization: Focus on high-impact vulnerabilities, critical dependencies, and exposed secrets.
• Remediation Planning: Assign owners and timelines to each issue.
• Continuous Monitoring: Set up dashboards and alerts for new vulnerabilities or changes in supplier status using tools such as Probatus Suite.

Best Practices:

• Create a feedback loop—results from risk assessment should inform ongoing process improvements.
• Schedule periodic reassessments (quarterly or after major supply chain changes).
• Integrate risk findings into company-wide security awareness and training programs.

Real-World Example: CI/CD Pipeline Security Assessment

Suppose your organization builds containerized applications using Kubernetes. An assessment reveals:

• Outdated base images with high-severity CVEs.
• Unsigned build artifacts.
• Excessive access permissions on build servers.

Transitioning to a secure supply chain might involve:

• Mandating auto-updates for base images.
• Implementing SLSA level 3 for build provenance.
• Enforcing least privilege across CI/CD tooling.

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Effective software supply chain risk assessment is an ongoing, multi-layered process rooted in transparency, rigorous evaluation, and continuous improvement. By following these five steps—inventorying components, assessing trust, scanning for vulnerabilities, reviewing controls, and quantifying risk—you can significantly reduce your organization’s exposure to supply chain attacks. Always integrate security into your development and operational workflows, remain compliant with industry standards, and keep your teams informed about evolving threats.

For deeper guidance on implementing these steps, explore authoritative resources like NIST SSDF, SLSA Framework, and CIS Controls. If you need expert-led risk assessments, consider partnering with specialized providers such as Quaerens Software.

Actionable checklist:

• Generate and update SBOMs at every build.
• Assess supplier and dependency trustworthiness using SLSA and compliance evidence.
• Automate vulnerability scanning in CI/CD.
• Map and enforce security controls using frameworks like NIST SSDF and CIS.
• Periodically review risks and improve defenses.

The security of your software supply chain is integral to business success—proactive risk assessment enables you to build trust, maintain compliance, and safeguard users against the next wave of supply chain threats.