lynis
security auditing tool for Unix-based systems
TLDR
Check for updates
$ sudo lynis update info
Run full system audit$ sudo lynis audit system
Run audit quietly (non-interactive)$ sudo lynis audit system --quick
Audit a Dockerfile$ lynis audit dockerfile [path/to/Dockerfile]
Run only tests from a specific category$ sudo lynis audit system --tests-from-category [networking]
SYNOPSIS
lynis [mode] [options]
DESCRIPTION
lynis is a security auditing tool for Unix-based systems. It performs an extensive health scan covering system hardening, vulnerability scanning, and compliance testing.
PARAMETERS
audit system
Perform full system security audit.audit dockerfile FILE
Audit a Dockerfile for security issues.update info
Check for lynis updates.show profiles
List available audit profiles.show settings
Display current settings.show categories
List available test categories.show commands
Show available lynis commands.-c, --cronjob
Run as cronjob (non-interactive, with auto-rotation of log files)-Q, --quick
Quick mode, do not wait for user input.-q, --quiet
Suppress output to screen. Implies --quick.--no-colors
Disable colored output.--pentest
Non-privileged scan, show points of interest for penetration testing.--forensics
Perform forensics on a running or mounted system.--tests TEST-IDs
Only run specific test(s).--tests-from-category CATEGORY
Only run tests belonging to the specified category.--profile FILE
Use alternative audit profile.--logfile FILE
Define alternative log file location.--report-file FILE
Define alternative report file location.
INSTALL
sudo dnf install lynis
sudo pacman -S lynis
sudo zypper install lynis
brew install lynis
nix profile install nixpkgs#lynis
CAVEATS
Requires root privileges for complete audit. Reports are stored in /var/log/lynis-report.dat. Some tests may be distribution-specific.
HISTORY
Developed by CISOfy as an open-source security auditing tool, evolved from rkhunter concepts with broader security coverage.
SEE ALSO
rkhunter(8), chkrootkit(8)
