Lynis
Lynis is our system and security auditing tool
for Linux, Mac OS X, and UNIX-based systems.
It provides insights in how well a system is hardened and what you can do, to improve your security defenses.
The software is open source and free to use. It is updated on a regular basis, to keep up with new technologies.
Security should be simple, but it is definitely not. With Lynis you gain quick insights in how well you are protecting your crown jewels. From your personal notebook to surf the web, up to where your company’s biggest secrets are stored.
Target audience: system administrators, security engineers, auditors and consultants.
Try now: Download Lynis
or clone it via GitHub
.
Commercial support available
For companies who prefer additional support, there is also Lynis Enterprise. It uses Lynis as a client. On top of that, it has additional plugins, reporting, central management, a dashboard, and more guidance (e.g. hardening snippets). With Lynis in its core, you are assured of a stable piece of software, which is up-to-date.
Examples of plugins:
- Compliance (e.g. HIPAA, PCI DSS, ISO27001)
- Docker
- File integrity
- Systemd
Lynis and Blogging?
We learn a lot while developing the tool and our research. So this is the reason for us to blog about it. At the same time, it gives more people access to information and to the tool. Got feedback to improve something? Let it know!
Differences between Lynis and Lynis Enterprise
Quick guide about the differences between Lynis and the Lynis Enterprise Suite and what version is best suitable for your Linux or Unix environment.
Find differences between two daily Lynis audits
It can be useful to see the differences between scans of Lynis, especially when running it daily. Learn how to do this with just a few steps
How to create custom tests in Lynis
Although Lynis has many tests by default, there are enough reasons to create your own custom tests. Instead of patching up existing files, learn how to do that.
How to deal with Lynis suggestions?
Auditing tool Lynis for Linux, guides administrators with discovering weaknesses. This article helps in dealing with Lynis suggestions displayed on screen.
How to keep Lynis up-to-date?
Keeping software up-to-date is more important than ever before. To keep Lynis up-to-date, there are several notification possibilities and upgrade methods.
How to update Lynis
Tips and suggestions to keep Lynis up-to-date. With every software tool receiving improvements and bug fixes, it's important to update Lynis as well.
How to use Lynis
Article about how to use Lynis, a security auditing and hardening tool to test Unix and Linux based systems for vulnerabilities.
How to use Lynis plugins
Lynis plugins are an extension to Lynis, the security auditing tool for Linux and Unix-based systems. Learn how to use Lynis plugins and troubleshoot them.
Installation of Lynis on Arch Linux systems
Lynis is available as a package for Arch Linux and installation is just a few steps. We look at the options to install Lynis on your favorite Linux distro.
Lynis hardening index
Lynis uses a hardening index which is displayed at the end of the scan. What does it mean and how does it help? This article explains the rationale behind it.
Lynis stuck during testing
How to deal with issues when running Lynis and looks like it is stuck during any testing being performed. Finding the causing in a few quick steps.
Major release: Lynis 3.x
Learn about the most important changes that form the major 3.x release of the Lynis project, including security enhancements and new tests.
Securing Linux: Audit with Lynis (an introduction into auditing)
Introduction article into securing Linux based systems by performing a scan with Lynis. After this first audit it will be much easier to harden the system!
Troubleshooting guide for Lynis
Troubleshooting Lynis. This document helps with solving most common issues experienced when running Lynis.
Viewing available test categories in Lynis
Lynis has all tests categorized and lets the user select which tests to run. Using the --tests-category and --view-categories the selection can be made.
What’s New in Lynis 2: Features
The upcoming Lynis 2 release will bring many new features. Focus is on simplicity, speed and supporting newer technologies like Docker and systemd.