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Lynis
Lynis is an open source security auditing tool for Unix and Linux systems that scans configurations and software for vulnerabilities and hardening gaps.
About Lynis
Lynis runs on the command line and inspects your system from top to bottom. It checks kernel parameters, file permissions, installed packages, network settings, and running services. The tool outputs a detailed report with warnings, suggestions, and a hardening index score. You can run it on a fresh install to lock things down before going live, or schedule it weekly via cron to catch drift. It supports compliance checks against standards like PCI DSS, HIPAA, and CIS benchmarks. The project started in 2007 and is maintained by CISOfy, a Dutch company. Lynis is written in shell script, so it has zero dependencies and runs on almost any Unix variant including Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, and Solaris. The community edition is free and open source under GPLv3. There is also an enterprise version with a web dashboard, compliance reports, and plugin support. Over 100,000 systems run Lynis in production, and it is included by default in many security-focused Linux distributions like Kali and Parrot.
Security
Quick Facts
- Pricing
- Freemium
- License
- Open Source
- Platform
- Linux
- Version
- 3.1.4
- Developer
- CISOfy