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AI BOM: Enhancing Transparency and Trust in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

The AI BOM: Unpacking the ‘Ingredient Label’ for Artificial Intelligence  

We use AI services like ChatGPT and Gemini daily, but what’s actually inside them? As AI systems become more powerful and integrated into our lives, a critical question has emerged: how can we trust a technology when its inner workings are often a black box, even to its creators?

In response to this challenge, a global movement toward AI transparency is taking shape, centered on the concept of an Artificial Intelligence Bill of Materials (AI BOM). Drawing inspiration from the Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) in cybersecurity, an AI BOM is a formal record that systematically documents every component of an AI system—from training data and algorithms to models and third-party libraries.

Why Now? The Perfect Storm Driving AI Transparency

The push for the AI BOM is driven by three main forces:

  1. Rising Complexity: Modern AI is a complex web of open-source models and vast datasets, making it difficult to track dependencies and vulnerabilities.
  2. New, AI-Specific Threats: Security risks like toxic data injection, model theft, and adversarial attacks require a more granular understanding of an AI’s composition.
  3. A Global Wave of Regulation: Governments are no longer leaving AI unchecked. Europe’s AI Act, U.S. executive orders, and South Korea’s national roadmap are all mandating greater transparency and accountability for AI systems, especially those deemed “high-risk.”

The Core Benefits of an AI BOM By providing a clear inventory of an AI system’s components, an AI BOM delivers powerful advantages:

  • Enhanced Transparency & Traceability: Understand how an AI system makes decisions and quickly identify the root cause of issues like bias or malfunction.
  • Proactive Risk Management: Identify and mitigate potential risks, such as biased training data or outdated libraries with security flaws, before they cause harm.
  • Streamlined Regulatory Compliance: Easily generate the documentation needed to comply with tightening global regulations and pass internal or external audits.
  • Secure Supply Chains: Verify the source and reliability of third-party and open-source components, strengthening defenses against vulnerabilities.

The Path Forward: Building a Trustworthy AI Ecosystem Global adoption of the AI BOM is accelerating, from the U.S. military to high-risk sectors in Europe like healthcare and finance. While challenges like standardization remain, the AI BOM is becoming a foundational tool for building a future where artificial intelligence is not only powerful but also transparent, accountable, and safe.

About Penta Security
Penta Security takes a holistic approach to cover all the bases for information security. The company has worked and is constantly working to ensure the safety of its customers behind the scenes through the wide range of IT-security offerings. As a result, with its headquarters in Korea, the company has expanded globally as a market share leader in the Asia-Pacific region.

As one of the first to make headway into information security in Korea, Penta Security has developed a wide range of fundamental technologies. Linking science, engineering, and management together to expand our technological capacity, we then make our critical decisions from a technological standpoint.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

Are You Protecting the Right People in Your Organization?

If your security priorities still center on CVSS scores and device vulnerabilities, you’re missing a significant piece of the risk puzzle. People. Attackers aren’t following your org chart. They’re targeting whoever gives them access.

Enter the concept of Very Attacked People (VAPs): individuals in your environment who attract the most persistent, targeted attacks. And they’re not always the CEO or the CISO.

 

Attackers Follow Access, Not Titles

According to the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 74% of breaches involve the human element, including phishing, credential theft, and accidental errors. The days of generic phishing blasts are long gone. Today’s attackers are smart, precise, and persistent.

While your executives might still be in the crosshairs, the riskiest users often sit quietly in other roles:

  • A marketing manager approving third-party contracts
  • An HR admin with access to payroll systems
  • A facilities lead managing badge entry systems

 

These users rarely rank as high-value assets in traditional models, but they often hold credentials and access that attackers want.

 

Traditional Risk Scoring Misses the Mark

Most risk models still evaluate device posture, not user behavior. They tell you if a system is out of date, but not whether its user has been phished multiple times or flagged by endpoint detection tools.

Without tying alerts to the person behind the screen, “low-severity” events can fly under the radar. A login anomaly for a guest account might not be a big deal. That same anomaly on your head of finance? That is an entirely different story.

 

Why Your Detection Strategy Needs a Human Layer

Security teams are buried in alerts. Prioritizing based on technical severity alone leads to noise, burnout, and missed threats. Detection becomes more effective when it accounts for who is being attacked, not just how.

At Graylog, we help teams operationalize VAP awareness through practical, people-focused workflows:

  • Correlate attack data across sources like phishing, EDR, anomaly detection, and threat intel
  • Tag users as VAPs in your SIEM’s asset database to give alerts human context
  • Prioritize alerts based on the risk level of the user, not just the event
  • Visualize human-centric attack trends to identify repeat targeting or emerging threats

 

This turns your detection playbook into a risk-based response strategy.

 

Cut Alert Fatigue by Focusing on VAPs

Security teams don’t need more alerts. They need better context.

Graylog reduces noise by highlighting activity tied to your most attacked users. A single phishing email targeting a known VAP triggers a high-priority alert. Repeated login attempts on a VAP’s account get flagged before they become a breach.

VAP-aware dashboards shift your view from disconnected logs to a cohesive story about who is under fire, how often, and why.

 

You Can’t Defend What You Don’t See

Most organizations think they’re protecting their highest-value users. But without clearly identifying your VAPs, you are playing defense with one eye closed. Attackers have already adjusted their tactics. It’s time your detection strategy caught up.

Want to start protecting the people attackers are really targeting? Learn how to identify and respond to Very Attacked People

About Graylog
At Graylog, our vision is a secure digital world where organizations of all sizes can effectively guard against cyber threats. We’re committed to turning this vision into reality by providing Threat Detection & Response that sets the standard for excellence. Our cloud-native architecture delivers SIEM, API Security, and Enterprise Log Management solutions that are not just efficient and effective—whether hosted by us, on-premises, or in your cloud—but also deliver a fantastic Analyst Experience at the lowest total cost of ownership. We aim to equip security analysts with the best tools for the job, empowering every organization to stand resilient in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

Cybercrime-as-a-service: the business model behind digital attacks

A cybercriminal stands in the shadows against a red background, his eye spotlit

Summary: Cybercrime-as-a-service mirrors the SaaS model, selling attack tools on the dark web. Learn how it works and how to defend your business.

Cybercrime-as-a-service (CaaS) is the dark side of modern software development. While the SaaS business model offers low-cost and flexible solutions, CaaS provides similar benefits for cybercriminals.

Thanks to CaaS, executing data breaches or distributed denial-of-service attacks has never been easier, challenging companies to upgrade their security measures. This article will explain how CaaS works and who is behind it, before exploring practical security responses.

What is cybercrime-as-a-service (CaaS)

Cybercrime-as-a-service is a threat model in which vendors provide services or tools to enable attacks by third-party clients. CaaS vendors generally sell products via pay-per-use or subscription models and use dark web marketplaces to conceal transactions.

CaaS operations allow attacks by unskilled criminal groups, expanding the community of threat actors. They cover many cyber threats, including ransomware, DDoS attacks, and credential theft. This makes cybercrime-as-a-service a critical part of the global threat landscape.

How the service model works in cybercrime

Cybercrime-as-a-service (CaaS) functions similarly to conventional third-party applications or cloud services. This familiarity is one reason why CaaS is spreading rapidly. Once restricted to specialist hackers, advanced tools are now available to novice threat actors.

How the cybercrime-as-a-service works in a nutshell

CaaS attacks follow a lifecycle that starts with purchasing and ends with successful cyber attacks:

Purchase

Vendors create kits that include the tools needed to mount cyber-attacks. They offer these products for sale via encrypted sites. Popular purchasing platforms include dark web marketplaces and encrypted communication tools like Telegram channels.

Buyers can choose between several different kits depending on their goals and budget. CaaS vendors typically offer ransomware-as-a-service kits, tools to spread malware, and phishing kits featuring templates for fake websites and login portals.

Purchases typically take place via hard-to-trace cryptocurrencies. Transactions could be one-off purchases, but subscriptions are common. Marketplaces also often apply escrow models to enforce standards and resolve disputes.

Deployment

Cybercriminals customize CaaS kits to suit their needs before deploying attacks via their favored method. Forms of deployment include:

  • Drive-by downloads: Cybercrime services create credible websites to deceive victims and deploy downloads containing malicious payloads.
  • Phishing emails. Automated kits send personalized phishing emails to mount targeted attacks on victims. Emails persuade victims to download infected attachments, provide login credentials via fake websites, or take other risky actions.
  • Malvertising. CaaS kits deploy fake ads that are infected with malicious software. Malware spreads as users visit websites hosting the ads, enabling secondary data theft or ransomware attacks.

In the above deployment methods, off-the-shelf kits do the technical work (bypassing encryption, anonymizing attackers, or creating convincing fake assets).

CaaS kits also implant malicious tools on target systems. They seek ways to achieve lateral movement and discover sensitive data, often deploying credential theft tools to expand their reach. Backdoors also enable unskilled attackers to achieve persistence and execute sophisticated attacks.

Outcomes

After deploying threats and achieving persistence, cybercriminals can launch many types of cyberattacks.

For example, criminals use cybercrime services for gaining access to a target’s network security and implanting ransomware agents. These agents encrypt sensitive data or infrastructure until victims pay a ransom.

CaaS can also enable distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against network systems. Cybercriminals can extract data from cloud databases, use stolen financial credentials to make illicit transfers, or launch crypto-jacking attacks.

Who runs cybercrime-as-a-service operations?

Security experts estimate that cybercrime-as-a-service vendors earn over $23 billion annually, with an annual growth rate of over 12 percent. The market is increasingly complex, creating an ecosystem with many specialized roles.

Developers handle the production aspect of CaaS. For example, developers might create and update malware to stay ahead of cybersecurity measures. Other development teams focus on building botnets or exploit kits to target recently discovered vulnerabilities.

Affiliates tend to handle marketing and sales for developers. Marketers advertise CaaS products on the dark web and Telegram, along with prices and payment plans. Affiliates often earn commissions from successful attacks (sometimes as high as 30 percent).

Resellers operate independently from developers and affiliates. They sell products directly to customers, often those with less tech knowledge or awareness of the cybercrime landscape. Resellers may combine CaaS sales with tech support to attract buyers. They also buy in bulk and resell subscriptions at significant discounts.

Where does that leave the customers who actually purchase off-the-shelf CaaS products? Many buyers are new entrants to the cybercrime ecosystem. So-called “script kiddies” with few skills use CaaS kits to launch previously inaccessible attacks.

However, organized cybercriminals also rely on CaaS products to expand their operations. These criminals act like conventional businesses, seeking ways to cut costs and maximize revenues.

About NordStellar
NordStellar is a threat exposure management platform that enables enterprises to detect and respond to network threats before they escalate. As a platform and API provider, NordStellar can provide insight into threat actors’ activities and their handling of compromised data. Designed by Nord Security, the company renowned for its globally acclaimed digital privacy tool NordVPN.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

Navigating the Maze: Why Unified IT Management is No Longer a Luxury

Navigating the world of IT today feels less like mapping a clear path and more like finding your way through a maze.

Despite advancements in the tools at your disposal, critical gaps remain. Relying on many point solutions can make your systems feel disconnected instead of cohesive. You put in a lot of effort to make everything fit. But not all systems work well with your tech stack. This leads to frustrating inefficiencies.

Three key challenges stand in the way of progress: vendor sprawl, hidden user activity, and unknown security risks. 

These blind spots obscure your vision and prevent you from achieving the clarity and control you need. This article looks at these challenges. We’ll also see how unifying your systems can show you the clear path forward you need.

Tackling the Chaos of Vendor Sprawl

Vendor sprawl complicates IT operations, making management increasingly difficult. Relying on multiple providers for various devices, access methods, and use cases creates silos that disrupt workflows and fragment your systems.

This lack of cohesion makes daily management harder. It slows decision-making and weakens efforts to create a unified IT strategy. Each platform has its own interface and limits. They also have a steep learning curve. This means you need a lot of training on different systems. The burden of ongoing maintenance for each individual solution adds to the complexity, draining both time and energy.

It’s hard to see your whole infrastructure when important data spreads across different systems. Accessing information locked in separate vendor platforms takes extra time and effort. This makes it harder to manage users, devices, or your overall security posture effectively.

The risks don’t end there.

More vendors mean more vulnerabilities. Each new tool can create security gaps and risks of misconfiguration. This expands the attack surface and raises the chance of expensive security breaches.

Over time, not integrating leads to inefficiencies, security risks, and missed chances to improve your IT operations. A streamlined, unified approach is essential to overcoming these challenges and achieving operational excellence..

The Threat of Unseen User Activity

Unseen user activity is a natural occurrence. It includes the actions users take across different platforms and tools that are hard to track or measure. This might include users accessing SaaS apps they acquired and onboarded on their own. Or in a more nuanced example, seeing which buttons they are pushing and what reports they are pulling within sanctioned ones.

Without a unified view of user behavior, gaining meaningful insights becomes an uphill battle. Small data gaps quickly add up, leaving you struggling to connect the dots. For many organizations, combining data from different systems to create unified reports seems like a distant dream rather than a practical goal.

This lack of visibility triggers a ripple effect. It creates inefficiencies. Troubleshooting takes longer. Optimizing resources, like finding unused software licenses, turns into guesswork. Also, managing your IT environment becomes very hard.

From a security perspective, the consequences are even more critical. Lack of clear insights makes it tough to spot insider threats. It also complicates finding anomalies that might indicate breaches. Plus, it’s harder to revoke access when employees leave. In short, the absence of unified data impacts not just efficiency, but security too.

You Can’t Secure What You Can’t See

Effective security hinges on control. Yet, in practice, this goal often devolves into a fragmented patchwork of inconsistent controls and blind spots. When technical safeguards fall short, organizations are left relying on little more than hope—trusting employees to consistently make smart choices on their own.

You may offer training and support, but as your organization grows, adopts new tools, and becomes more distributed, maintaining these efforts becomes increasingly unmanageable. This leads to widening security gaps, turning access management into an uphill battle.

As a result, your organization is left exposed to escalating—but avoidable—risks.

At its core, the issue is clear: fragmented systems and the absence of a unified strategy are complicating your security posture. They are leaving your IT environment dangerously vulnerable. Every new tool or platform brings its own access rules, authentication protocols, and audit logs. This scattered approach obscures visibility, making it nearly impossible to enforce consistent policies, detect lateral threat movement, or securely de-provision access when roles change or employees leave.

Without a central control system, you stay in a reactive loop. You keep reacting to threats like a game of whack-a-mole. This reactive approach puts your key assets at risk from inside and outside threats. It stops you from having real proactive security.

How Unification Creates A Clear Path Forward

Now, consider the alternative. Investing in a unified platform for managing devices, identities, and access offers a compelling path forward. This consolidation of tools and processes simplify IT management, breaking down silos and providing a much-needed central point of control.

But the benefits don’t stop there. By making automation a core component of this unified platform, IT teams can finally break free from the shackles of routine, time-consuming tasks. Imagine your skilled IT professionals being liberated to focus on strategic initiatives, innovation, and driving real business value instead of endless password resets and user provisioning.

The message is clear: in today’s dynamic IT landscape, a unified and automated approach isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s the key to navigating the maze and achieving true IT efficiency and control.

Automate Your Way to More Impactful IT

Our webinar, “6 IT Automations to Help You Boost your Bandwidth” offers practical strategies for replacing those time-consuming manual processes with intelligent, productivity-boosting automations. Discover how to free your team’s time and brainpower for higher-value projects.

Want to experience this transformation for yourself? JumpCloud’s unified platform for identity, access, and device management is built precisely for this. See how easy it is to simplify complex IT operations with comprehensive automation.It’s time to elevate your IT. Start your free JumpCloud trial today!

About JumpCloud
At JumpCloud, our mission is to build a world-class cloud directory. Not just the evolution of Active Directory to the cloud, but a reinvention of how modern IT teams get work done. The JumpCloud Directory Platform is a directory for your users, their IT resources, your fleet of devices, and the secure connections between them with full control, security, and visibility.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.