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SRC007 — https://www.chainguard.dev/unchained/wolfis-upstream-security-inspection-scanning-with-openssf-scorecard

Contents

Metadata

Field Value
URL https://www.chainguard.dev/unchained/wolfis-upstream-security-inspection-scanning-with-openssf-scorecard
Authors Chainguard (John Speed Meyers implied, Head of Chainguard Labs)
Date August 2, 2024

Content Summary

Chainguard scanned 1,511 GitHub repositories in the Wolfi distribution using OpenSSF Scorecard and found the mean aggregate score was 5.4 out of 10, with a bell-shaped distribution. Popular projects (measured by GitHub stars) scored higher: a 100x increase in stars correlated with a one-point score increase. Ruby and C packages had notably lower average scores (4.8 and 4.7).

Reliability: Medium

Corporate blog post from a reputable security company, but not peer-reviewed; analysis covers Wolfi distribution packages specifically.

Relevance: High

Provides the exact 5.4 average Scorecard score, though for Wolfi upstream packages rather than 'top one million critical projects'.

Bias Assessment

Domain Rating Rationale
Missing Data Some concerns Only covers 1,511 Wolfi packages, not the broader critical project set.
Measurement Low risk Used the standard OpenSSF Scorecard tool without modification.
Selective Reporting Low risk Reports full distribution including unfavorable findings about language-specific differences.
Randomization N/A Not an RCT.
Protocol Deviation N/A Not an RCT.
Conflict Of Interest Some concerns Chainguard sells security-focused container images; lower upstream scores could support their product narrative.

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