In an era where organizations depend heavily on commercial applications to run their operations, the integrity of those applications has become a top security concern. Saša Zdjelar, Chief Trust Officer at ReversingLabs and Operating Partner at Crosspoint Capital, shares how protecting the software supply chain now extends far beyond open source risk.
Zdjelar outlines how modern applications are built from a mix of first-party, contracted, open source, and proprietary third-party components. By the time software reaches production, its lineage spans geographies, development teams, and sometimes even AI-generated code. Incidents like SolarWinds, Kaseya, and CircleCI demonstrate that trusted vendors are no longer immune to compromise, and commercial software can introduce critical vulnerabilities or malicious payloads deep into enterprise systems.
Regulatory drivers are increasing scrutiny. Executive Order 14028, Europe’s Cyber Resilience Act, DORA, and U.S. Department of Defense software sourcing restrictions all require greater transparency, such as a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM). However, Zdjelar cautions that SBOMs—while valuable—are like ingredient lists without recipes: they don’t reveal if a product is secure, just what’s in it.
ReversingLabs addresses this gap with a no-compromise analysis engine capable of deconstructing any file, of any size or complexity, to assess its safety. This capability enables organizations to make risk-based decisions, continuously monitor for unexpected changes between software versions, and operationalize controls at points such as procurement, SCCM deployments, or file transfers into critical environments.
For CISOs, this represents a true technical control where previously only contractual clauses, questionnaires, or insurance policies existed. By placing analysis at the front of the software lifecycle, organizations can reduce reliance on costly manual testing and sandboxing, improve detection of tampering or hidden behavior, and even influence cyber insurance rates.
The takeaway is clear: software supply chain security is a board-level concern, and the focus must expand beyond open source. With the right controls, organizations can avoid becoming the next headline-making breach and maintain trust with customers, partners, and regulators.
Learn more about ReversingLabs: https://itspm.ag/reversinglabs-v57b
Note: This story contains promotional content. Learn more.
Guest: Saša Zdjelar, Chief Trust Officer at ReversingLabs and Operating Partner at Crosspoint Capital | On Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasazdjelar/
Resources
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Keywords: Black Hat 2025, Black Hat USA, sean martin, saša zdjelar, software supply chain security, commercial software risk, binary analysis, software bill of materials, sbom security, malicious code detection, ciso strategies, third party software risk, software tampering detection, malware analysis tools, devsecops security, application security testing, cybersecurity compliance
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By ITSPmagazine, Sean Martin, Marco Ciappelli
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In an era where organizations depend heavily on commercial applications to run their operations, the integrity of those applications has become a top security concern. Saša Zdjelar, Chief Trust Officer at ReversingLabs and Operating Partner at Crosspoint Capital, shares how protecting the software supply chain now extends far beyond open source risk.
Zdjelar outlines how modern applications are built from a mix of first-party, contracted, open source, and proprietary third-party components. By the time software reaches production, its lineage spans geographies, development teams, and sometimes even AI-generated code. Incidents like SolarWinds, Kaseya, and CircleCI demonstrate that trusted vendors are no longer immune to compromise, and commercial software can introduce critical vulnerabilities or malicious payloads deep into enterprise systems.
Regulatory drivers are increasing scrutiny. Executive Order 14028, Europe’s Cyber Resilience Act, DORA, and U.S. Department of Defense software sourcing restrictions all require greater transparency, such as a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM). However, Zdjelar cautions that SBOMs—while valuable—are like ingredient lists without recipes: they don’t reveal if a product is secure, just what’s in it.
ReversingLabs addresses this gap with a no-compromise analysis engine capable of deconstructing any file, of any size or complexity, to assess its safety. This capability enables organizations to make risk-based decisions, continuously monitor for unexpected changes between software versions, and operationalize controls at points such as procurement, SCCM deployments, or file transfers into critical environments.
For CISOs, this represents a true technical control where previously only contractual clauses, questionnaires, or insurance policies existed. By placing analysis at the front of the software lifecycle, organizations can reduce reliance on costly manual testing and sandboxing, improve detection of tampering or hidden behavior, and even influence cyber insurance rates.
The takeaway is clear: software supply chain security is a board-level concern, and the focus must expand beyond open source. With the right controls, organizations can avoid becoming the next headline-making breach and maintain trust with customers, partners, and regulators.
Learn more about ReversingLabs: https://itspm.ag/reversinglabs-v57b
Note: This story contains promotional content. Learn more.
Guest: Saša Zdjelar, Chief Trust Officer at ReversingLabs and Operating Partner at Crosspoint Capital | On Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasazdjelar/
Resources
Learn more and catch more stories from ReversingLabs: https://www.itspmagazine.com/directory/reversinglabs
Learn more about ITSPmagazine Brand Story Podcasts: https://www.itspmagazine.com/purchase-programs
Newsletter Archive: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/tune-into-the-latest-podcasts-7109347022809309184/
Business Newsletter Signup: https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-business-updates-sign-up
Are you interested in telling your story?
https://www.itspmagazine.com/telling-your-story
Keywords: Black Hat 2025, Black Hat USA, sean martin, saša zdjelar, software supply chain security, commercial software risk, binary analysis, software bill of materials, sbom security, malicious code detection, ciso strategies, third party software risk, software tampering detection, malware analysis tools, devsecops security, application security testing, cybersecurity compliance
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