lynis

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[Documentation]

[Documentation]: https://cisofy.com/documentation/lynis/

Do you like this software? **Star the project** and become a [stargazer](https://github.com/CISOfy/lynis/stargazers).

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# lynis

> Lynis - Security auditing and hardening tool, for UNIX-based systems.

Lynis is a security auditing tool for systems based on UNIX like Linux, macOS, BSD, and others. It performs an **in-depth security scan** and runs on the system itself. 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. Lynis was commonly used by system administrators and auditors to assess the security defenses of their systems. Besides the "blue team," nowadays penetration testers also have Lynis in their toolkit.

We believe software should be **simple**, **updated on a regular basis**, and **open**. You should be able to trust, understand, and have the option to change the software. Many agree with us, as the software is being used by thousands every day to protect their systems.

## Goals

The main goals of Lynis include:
- Automated security auditing
- Compliance testing (e.g. ISO27001, PCI-DSS, HIPAA)
- Vulnerability detection

The software (also) assists with:
- Configuration and asset management
- Software patch management
- System hardening
- Penetration testing (privilege escalation)
- Intrusion detection

### Audience

Typical users of the software:
- System administrators
- Auditors
- Security officers
- Penetration testers
- Security professionals

## Installation

There are multiple options available to install Lynis.

### Software package

For systems running Linux, BSD, and macOS, there is typically a package available. This is the preferred method of obtaining Lynis, as it is quick to install and easy to update. The Lynis project itself also provides [packages](https://packages.cisofy.com/) in RPM or DEB format suitable for systems systems running:
`CentOS`, `Debian`, `Fedora`, `OEL`, `openSUSE`, `RHEL`, `Ubuntu`, and others.

Some distributions may also have Lynis in their software repository: [![Repology](https://repology.org/badge/tiny-repos/lynis.svg)](https://repology.org/project/lynis/versions)

Note: Some distributions don't provide an up-to-date version. In that case it is better to use the CISOfy software repository, download the tarball from the website, or download the latest GitHub release.

### Git

The very latest developments can be obtained via git.

1. Clone or download the project files (**n