Lynis is a battle-tested security tool. It performs an extensive health scan of your systems to support system hardening and compliance testing. The primary goal is to test security defenses and provide tips for further system hardening. It will also scan for general system information, vulnerable software packages, and possible configuration issues.
The software can be used for security auditing, compliance testing (e.g. PCI, HIPAA, SOx), penetration testing, vulnerability detection, and system hardening.
This is free and open source software.
Features include:
- In-depth audits by host based scanning.
- Compliance testing (PCI, HIPAA, SOx and others).
- Detect intruders and monitor for configuration issues.
- Continuous auditing, discover changes.
- Layered dashboards (technical and managerial).
- Reporting and data export.
- Different levels of user access.
- Modular – run your self-created tests. You can even create them in other scripting or programming languages.
- Opportunistic – only use and test the components that it can find.
- Always perform scans that are tailored to your system.
- Performs hundreds of individual tests. Each test will help to determine the security state of the system. Most tests are written in shell script and have a unique identifier (e.g. KRNL-6000).
- Flexible – tune security scans.
- Plugins – modular extensions to Lynis. With the help of the plugins, Lynis will perform additional tests and collect more system information.
- Cross-platform support – runs under Linux, macOS, other UNIX-like systems, and Windows.
Its audit steps are:
- Initialization.
- Perform basic checks, such as file ownership.
- Determine operating system and tools.
- Search for available software components.
- Check latest Lynis version.
- Run enabled plugins.
- Run security tests per category.
- Perform execution of your custom tests (optional).
- Report status of security scan.
Website: cisofy.com/lynis
Support: GitHub Code Repository
Developer: CISOfy
License: GNU General Public License v3.0
Return to Vulnerability Detection Tools
| Popular series | |
|---|---|
 | The largest compilation of the best free and open source software in the universe. Each article is supplied with a legendary ratings chart helping you to make informed decisions. |
 | Hundreds of in-depth reviews offering our unbiased and expert opinion on software. We offer helpful and impartial information. |
 | Replace proprietary software with open source alternatives: Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Autodesk, Oracle, Atlassian, Corel, Cisco, Intuit, and SAS. |
 | Awesome Free Linux Games Tools showcases a series of tools that making gaming on Linux a more pleasurable experience. This is a new series. |
 | Machine Learning explores practical applications of machine learning and deep learning from a Linux perspective. We've written reviews of more than 40 self-hosted apps. All are free and open source. |
 | New to Linux? Read our Linux for Starters series. We start right at the basics and teach you everything you need to know to get started with Linux. |
 | Alternatives to popular CLI tools showcases essential tools that are modern replacements for core Linux utilities. |
 | Essential Linux system tools focuses on small, indispensable utilities, useful for system administrators as well as regular users. |
 | Linux utilities to maximise your productivity. Small, indispensable tools, useful for anyone running a Linux machine. |
 | Surveys popular streaming services from a Linux perspective: Amazon Music Unlimited, Myuzi, Spotify, Deezer, Tidal. |
 | Saving Money with Linux looks at how you can reduce your energy bills running Linux. |
 | Home computers became commonplace in the 1980s. Emulate home computers including the Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, ZX81, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum. |
 | Now and Then examines how promising open source software fared over the years. It can be a bumpy ride. |
 | Linux at Home looks at a range of home activities where Linux can play its part, making the most of our time at home, keeping active and engaged. |
 | Linux Candy reveals the lighter side of Linux. Have some fun and escape from the daily drudgery. |
 | Getting Started with Docker helps you master Docker, a set of platform as a service products that delivers software in packages called containers. |
 | Best Free Android Apps. We showcase free Android apps that are definitely worth downloading. There's a strict eligibility criteria for inclusion in this series. |
 | These best free books accelerate your learning of every programming language. Learn a new language today! |
 | These free tutorials offer the perfect tonic to our free programming books series. |
 | Linux Around The World showcases usergroups that are relevant to Linux enthusiasts. Great ways to meet up with fellow enthusiasts. |
 | Stars and Stripes is an occasional series looking at the impact of Linux in the USA. |