diff --git a/doc/userguide/upgrade.rst b/doc/userguide/upgrade.rst
index 991e55ae75..e35a596a40 100644
--- a/doc/userguide/upgrade.rst
+++ b/doc/userguide/upgrade.rst
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ also check all the new features that have been added but are not covered by
 this guide. Those features are either not enabled by default or require
 dedicated new configuration.
 
+Upgrading 7.0 to 8.0
+--------------------
+.. note:: ``stats.whitelist`` has been renamed to ``stats.score`` in ``eve.json``
+
 Upgrading 6.0 to 7.0
 --------------------
 
diff --git a/src/detect-engine-build.c b/src/detect-engine-build.c
index 05f93169d1..e9711eddab 100644
--- a/src/detect-engine-build.c
+++ b/src/detect-engine-build.c
@@ -877,7 +877,7 @@ static json_t *RulesGroupPrintSghStats(const DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, const SigG
     }
     json_object_set_new(js, "stats", stats);
 
-    json_object_set_new(js, "whitelist", json_integer(sgh->init->whitelist));
+    json_object_set_new(js, "score", json_integer(sgh->init->score));
 
     return js;
 }
@@ -1147,7 +1147,7 @@ static int RuleSetWhitelist(Signature *s)
         }
     }
 
-    s->init_data->whitelist = wl;
+    s->init_data->score = wl;
     return wl;
 }
 
@@ -1198,7 +1198,7 @@ static DetectPort *RulesGroupByPorts(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, uint8_t ipproto, u
             goto next;
         }
 
-        int wl = s->init_data->whitelist;
+        int wl = s->init_data->score;
         while (p) {
             int pwl = PortIsWhitelisted(de_ctx, p, ipproto) ? 111 : 0;
             pwl = MAX(wl,pwl);
@@ -1206,12 +1206,12 @@ static DetectPort *RulesGroupByPorts(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, uint8_t ipproto, u
             DetectPort *lookup = DetectPortHashLookup(de_ctx, p);
             if (lookup) {
                 SigGroupHeadAppendSig(de_ctx, &lookup->sh, s);
-                lookup->sh->init->whitelist = MAX(lookup->sh->init->whitelist, pwl);
+                lookup->sh->init->score = MAX(lookup->sh->init->score, pwl);
             } else {
                 DetectPort *tmp2 = DetectPortCopySingle(de_ctx, p);
                 BUG_ON(tmp2 == NULL);
                 SigGroupHeadAppendSig(de_ctx, &tmp2->sh, s);
-                tmp2->sh->init->whitelist = pwl;
+                tmp2->sh->init->score = pwl;
                 DetectPortHashAdd(de_ctx, tmp2);
             }
 
@@ -1519,7 +1519,7 @@ error:
 
 static int PortGroupWhitelist(const DetectPort *a)
 {
-    return a->sh->init->whitelist;
+    return a->sh->init->score;
 }
 
 int CreateGroupedPortListCmpCnt(DetectPort *a, DetectPort *b)
diff --git a/src/detect-engine-siggroup.c b/src/detect-engine-siggroup.c
index 36df347a50..b063fda8a6 100644
--- a/src/detect-engine-siggroup.c
+++ b/src/detect-engine-siggroup.c
@@ -402,8 +402,8 @@ int SigGroupHeadCopySigs(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, SigGroupHead *src, SigGroupHea
     for (idx = 0; idx < src->init->sig_size; idx++)
         (*dst)->init->sig_array[idx] = (*dst)->init->sig_array[idx] | src->init->sig_array[idx];
 
-    if (src->init->whitelist)
-        (*dst)->init->whitelist = MAX((*dst)->init->whitelist, src->init->whitelist);
+    if (src->init->score)
+        (*dst)->init->score = MAX((*dst)->init->score, src->init->score);
 
     return 0;
 
diff --git a/src/detect.h b/src/detect.h
index 53ca2b0931..90ac0d7206 100644
--- a/src/detect.h
+++ b/src/detect.h
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ typedef struct SignatureInitData_ {
     /** score to influence rule grouping. A higher value leads to a higher
      *  likelihood of a rulegroup with this sig ending up as a contained
      *  group. */
-    int whitelist;
+    int score;
 
     /** address settings for this signature */
     const DetectAddressHead *src, *dst;
@@ -1413,7 +1413,7 @@ typedef struct SigGroupHeadInitData_ {
 
     uint8_t protos[256];    /**< proto(s) this sgh is for */
     uint32_t direction;     /**< set to SIG_FLAG_TOSERVER, SIG_FLAG_TOCLIENT or both */
-    int whitelist;          /**< try to make this group a unique one */
+    int score;              /**< try to make this group a unique one */
 
     MpmCtx **app_mpms;
     MpmCtx **pkt_mpms;