diff --git a/src/_helpers.ts b/src/_helpers.ts
index 9b5286a8..57107bac 100644
--- a/src/_helpers.ts
+++ b/src/_helpers.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ Copyright (c) OWASP Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
 import { existsSync, readFileSync } from 'node:fs'
 import { dirname, isAbsolute, join, sep } from 'node:path'
 
+import normalizePackageData from 'normalize-package-data'
+
+
 export function isNonNullable<T>(value: T): value is NonNullable<T> {
   // NonNullable: not null and not undefined
   return value !== null && value !== undefined
@@ -116,3 +119,22 @@ export function iterableSome<T>(i: Iterable<T>, t: (v: T) => boolean): boolean {
 }
 
 // endregion polyfills
+
+
+export function isString (v: any): v is string {
+  return typeof v === 'string'
+}
+
+export function normalizePackageManifest (data: any, warn?: normalizePackageData.WarnFn): asserts data is normalizePackageData.Package {
+  /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-assignment,@typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-member-access -- ack*/
+  const oVersion = data.version
+
+  /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-type-assertion -- ack */
+  normalizePackageData(data as normalizePackageData.Input, warn)
+
+  if (isString(oVersion)) {
+    // normalizer might have stripped version or sanitized it to SemVer -- we want the original
+    /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-member-access -- ack */
+    data.version = oVersion.trim()
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/extractor.ts b/src/extractor.ts
index 85c10514..20bb566a 100644
--- a/src/extractor.ts
+++ b/src/extractor.ts
@@ -20,15 +20,14 @@ Copyright (c) OWASP Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
 import { dirname } from 'node:path'
 
 import * as CDX from '@cyclonedx/cyclonedx-library'
-import normalizePackageJson from 'normalize-package-data'
 import type { Compilation, Module } from 'webpack'
 
 import {
   getPackageDescription,
   isNonNullable,
+  normalizePackageManifest,
   type PackageDescription,
-  structuredClonePolyfill
-} from './_helpers'
+  structuredClonePolyfill} from './_helpers'
 
 type WebpackLogger = Compilation['logger']
 
@@ -93,29 +92,19 @@ export class Extractor {
    */
   makeComponent (pkg: PackageDescription, collectEvidence: boolean, logger?: WebpackLogger): CDX.Models.Component {
     try {
-      /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-assignment -- expected */
+      // work with a deep copy, because `normalizePackageManifest()` might modify the data
+      /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-assignment -- ach */
       const _packageJson = structuredClonePolyfill(pkg.packageJson)
-      /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-type-assertion -- hint hont */
-      normalizePackageJson(_packageJson as normalizePackageJson.Input /* add debug for warnings? */)
-      // region fix normalizations
-      /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-member-access -- expected */
-      if (typeof pkg.packageJson.version === 'string') {
-        // allow non-SemVer strings
-        /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-member-access
-                                  , @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-type-assertion
-           -- hint hint */
-        _packageJson.version = (pkg.packageJson.version as string).trim()
-      }
-      // endregion fix normalizations
-      /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-type-assertion -- hint hint */
-      pkg.packageJson = _packageJson as normalizePackageJson.Package
+      normalizePackageManifest(_packageJson)
+      pkg.packageJson = _packageJson
     } catch (e) {
       logger?.warn('normalizePackageJson from PkgPath', pkg.path, 'failed:', e)
     }
 
     const component = this.#componentBuilder.makeComponent(
-      /* eslint-disable-next-line  @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-type-assertion -- hint hint */
-      pkg.packageJson as normalizePackageJson.Package)
+      /* @ts-expect-error TS2559 */
+      pkg.packageJson as PackageDescription) /* eslint-disable-line  @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-type-assertion -- ack */
+
     if (component === undefined) {
       throw new Error(`failed building Component from PkgPath ${pkg.path}`)
     }
diff --git a/src/plugin.ts b/src/plugin.ts
index 1c9bb4ed..f1628831 100644
--- a/src/plugin.ts
+++ b/src/plugin.ts
@@ -21,10 +21,15 @@ import { existsSync } from 'node:fs'
 import { join as joinPath, resolve } from 'node:path'
 
 import * as CDX from '@cyclonedx/cyclonedx-library'
-import normalizePackageJson from 'normalize-package-data'
 import { Compilation, type Compiler, sources, version as WEBPACK_VERSION } from 'webpack'
 
-import { getPackageDescription, iterableSome, loadJsonFile, type PackageDescription } from './_helpers'
+import {
+  getPackageDescription,
+  iterableSome,
+  loadJsonFile,
+  normalizePackageManifest,
+  type PackageDescription
+} from './_helpers'
 import { Extractor } from './extractor'
 
 type WebpackLogger = Compilation['logger']
@@ -381,13 +386,13 @@ export class CycloneDxWebpackPlugin {
       ? getPackageDescription(path)?.packageJson
       : { name: this.rootComponentName, version: this.rootComponentVersion }
     if (thisPackageJson === undefined) { return undefined }
-    normalizePackageJson(
-      /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-type-assertion -- hint hint */
-      thisPackageJson as normalizePackageJson.Input,
+    normalizePackageManifest(
+       
+      thisPackageJson,
       w => { logger.debug('normalizePackageJson from PkgPath', path, 'caused:', w) }
     )
-    /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-type-assertion -- hint hint */
-    return builder.makeComponent(thisPackageJson as normalizePackageJson.Package)
+     
+    return builder.makeComponent(thisPackageJson)
   }
 
   #finalizeBom (
@@ -447,15 +452,11 @@ export class CycloneDxWebpackPlugin {
       logger.log('try to build new Tool from PkgPath', packageJsonPath)
       /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-assignment -- expected */
       const packageJson: PackageDescription['packageJson'] = loadJsonFile(packageJsonPath) ?? {}
-      normalizePackageJson(
-        /* eslint-disable-next-line  @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-type-assertion -- hint hint */
-        packageJson as normalizePackageJson.Input,
+      normalizePackageManifest(
+        packageJson,
         w => { logger.debug('normalizePackageJson from PkgPath', packageJsonPath, 'caused:', w) }
       )
-      const tool = builder.makeComponent(
-        /* eslint-disable-next-line  @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-type-assertion -- hint hint */
-        packageJson as normalizePackageJson.Package,
-        cType)
+      const tool = builder.makeComponent(packageJson, cType)
       if (tool !== undefined) {
         yield tool
       }