Lynis audit

lynis audit system

Audit Linux system hardening with Lynis, evaluating configuration security and generating the report with the hardening index.

Run it when you need a Linux hardening audit with the reference tool: Lynis evaluates the system — services, file permissions, accounts, SSH configuration, kernel, packages, firewall — and generates the report with findings by category and the hardening index. It's the most widely used open-source Linux audit: the starting point for hardening (which controls fail) and the measurement of progress (the index rises with each remediation). In hardening, Lynis is the first step on any new Linux server and the periodic review of existing ones.

Don't use it as a security verdict: Lynis measures configuration and best practices, not compromise — a system with a high index can be compromised. Findings are generic: some controls don't apply to the host's role (a container with physical server controls) and penalize the index without benefit — findings are filtered by relevance. And watch out for permissions and performance: the full audit requires root and takes time (several minutes); in production, schedule it. Lynis reports, doesn't remediate: findings are fixed manually (or with configuration tools), and re-audit measures progress.