diff --git a/internal/formats/syftjson/model/source.go b/internal/formats/syftjson/model/source.go
index 537a6f258..169405220 100644
--- a/internal/formats/syftjson/model/source.go
+++ b/internal/formats/syftjson/model/source.go
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ func (s *Source) UnmarshalJSON(b []byte) error {
 	s.Type = unpacker.Type
 
 	switch s.Type {
-	case "directory":
+	case "directory", "file":
 		if target, err := strconv.Unquote(string(unpacker.Target)); err == nil {
 			s.Target = target
 		} else {
diff --git a/internal/formats/syftjson/model/source_test.go b/internal/formats/syftjson/model/source_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cedf06e9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/formats/syftjson/model/source_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+package model
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/source"
+
+	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestSource_UnmarshalJSON(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name           string
+		input          []byte
+		expectedSource *Source
+		errAssertion   assert.ErrorAssertionFunc
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "directory",
+			input: []byte(`{
+				"type": "directory",
+				"target":"/var/lib/foo"
+			}`),
+			expectedSource: &Source{
+				Type:   "directory",
+				Target: "/var/lib/foo",
+			},
+			errAssertion: assert.NoError,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "image",
+			input: []byte(`{
+				"type": "image",
+				"target": {
+					"userInput": "alpine:3.10",
+					"imageID": "sha256:e7b300aee9f9bf3433d32bc9305bfdd22183beb59d933b48d77ab56ba53a197a",
+					"manifestDigest": "sha256:e515aad2ed234a5072c4d2ef86a1cb77d5bfe4b11aa865d9214875734c4eeb3c",
+					"mediaType": "application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.v2+json",
+					"tags": [],
+					"imageSize": 5576169,
+					"layers": [
+						{
+							"mediaType": "application/vnd.docker.image.rootfs.diff.tar.gzip",
+							"digest": "sha256:9fb3aa2f8b8023a4bebbf92aa567caf88e38e969ada9f0ac12643b2847391635",
+							"size": 5576169
+						}
+					],
+					"manifest": "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",
+					"config": "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",
+					"repoDigests": [
+						"index.docker.io/library/alpine@sha256:451eee8bedcb2f029756dc3e9d73bab0e7943c1ac55cff3a4861c52a0fdd3e98"
+					]
+				}
+			}`),
+			expectedSource: &Source{
+				Type: "image",
+				Target: source.ImageMetadata{
+					UserInput:      "alpine:3.10",
+					ID:             "sha256:e7b300aee9f9bf3433d32bc9305bfdd22183beb59d933b48d77ab56ba53a197a",
+					ManifestDigest: "sha256:e515aad2ed234a5072c4d2ef86a1cb77d5bfe4b11aa865d9214875734c4eeb3c",
+					MediaType:      "application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.v2+json",
+					Tags:           []string{},
+					Size:           5576169,
+					Layers: []source.LayerMetadata{
+						{
+							MediaType: "application/vnd.docker.image.rootfs.diff.tar.gzip",
+							Digest:    "sha256:9fb3aa2f8b8023a4bebbf92aa567caf88e38e969ada9f0ac12643b2847391635",
+							Size:      5576169,
+						},
+					},
+					RawManifest: []byte(`{
+   "schemaVersion": 2,
+   "mediaType": "application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.v2+json",
+   "config": {
+      "mediaType": "application/vnd.docker.container.image.v1+json",
+      "size": 1472,
+      "digest": "sha256:e7b300aee9f9bf3433d32bc9305bfdd22183beb59d933b48d77ab56ba53a197a"
+   },
+   "layers": [
+      {
+         "mediaType": "application/vnd.docker.image.rootfs.diff.tar.gzip",
+         "size": 2798338,
+         "digest": "sha256:396c31837116ac290458afcb928f68b6cc1c7bdd6963fc72f52f365a2a89c1b5"
+      }
+   ]
+}`),
+					RawConfig: []byte(`{"architecture":"amd64","config":{"Hostname":"","Domainname":"","User":"","AttachStdin":false,"AttachStdout":false,"AttachStderr":false,"Tty":false,"OpenStdin":false,"StdinOnce":false,"Env":["PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"],"Cmd":["/bin/sh"],"Image":"sha256:eb2080c455e94c22ae35b3aef9e078c492a00795412e026e4d6b41ef64bc7dd8","Volumes":null,"WorkingDir":"","Entrypoint":null,"OnBuild":null,"Labels":null},"container":"fdb7e80e3339e8d0599282e606c907aa5881ee4c668a68136119e6dfac6ce3a4","container_config":{"Hostname":"fdb7e80e3339","Domainname":"","User":"","AttachStdin":false,"AttachStdout":false,"AttachStderr":false,"Tty":false,"OpenStdin":false,"StdinOnce":false,"Env":["PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"],"Cmd":["/bin/sh","-c","#(nop) ","CMD [\"/bin/sh\"]"],"Image":"sha256:eb2080c455e94c22ae35b3aef9e078c492a00795412e026e4d6b41ef64bc7dd8","Volumes":null,"WorkingDir":"","Entrypoint":null,"OnBuild":null,"Labels":{}},"created":"2021-04-14T19:20:05.338397761Z","docker_version":"19.03.12","history":[{"created":"2021-04-14T19:20:04.987219124Z","created_by":"/bin/sh -c #(nop) ADD file:c5377eaa926bf412dd8d4a08b0a1f2399cfd708743533b0aa03b53d14cb4bb4e in / "},{"created":"2021-04-14T19:20:05.338397761Z","created_by":"/bin/sh -c #(nop)  CMD [\"/bin/sh\"]","empty_layer":true}],"os":"linux","rootfs":{"type":"layers","diff_ids":["sha256:9fb3aa2f8b8023a4bebbf92aa567caf88e38e969ada9f0ac12643b2847391635"]}}`),
+					RepoDigests: []string{
+						"index.docker." +
+							"io/library/alpine@sha256:451eee8bedcb2f029756dc3e9d73bab0e7943c1ac55cff3a4861c52a0fdd3e98",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			errAssertion: assert.NoError,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "file",
+			input: []byte(`{
+				"type": "file",
+				"target":"/var/lib/foo/go.mod"
+			}`),
+			expectedSource: &Source{
+				Type:   "file",
+				Target: "/var/lib/foo/go.mod",
+			},
+			errAssertion: assert.NoError,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "unknown source type",
+			input: []byte(`{
+				"type": "unknown-thing",
+				"target":"/var/lib/foo"
+			}`),
+			expectedSource: &Source{
+				Type: "unknown-thing",
+			},
+			errAssertion: assert.Error,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, testCase := range cases {
+		t.Run(testCase.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			source := new(Source)
+
+			err := json.Unmarshal(testCase.input, source)
+
+			testCase.errAssertion(t, err)
+			if diff := cmp.Diff(testCase.expectedSource, source); diff != "" {
+				t.Errorf("unexpected result from Source unmarshaling (-want +got)\n%s", diff)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}