lynis open source analysis

Lynis - Security auditing tool for Linux, macOS, and UNIX-based systems. Assists with compliance testing (HIPAA/ISO27001/PCI DSS) and system hardening. Agentless, and installation optional.

Project overview

⭐ 15040 · Shell · Last activity on GitHub: 2025-11-25

GitHub: https://github.com/CISOfy/lynis

Why it matters for engineering teams

Lynis addresses the critical need for thorough security auditing and compliance verification in Linux, macOS, and UNIX environments. It helps engineering teams identify vulnerabilities and harden systems against potential threats, supporting compliance with standards such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and ISO27001. This open source tool for engineering teams is particularly suited for security engineers, system administrators, and DevOps professionals who require a reliable, agentless scanner that can be run without installation. Lynis is a mature and production ready solution, trusted in many enterprise environments for ongoing security assessments. However, it may not be the best fit for teams seeking a fully automated, cloud-native security platform or those working primarily with non-UNIX operating systems.

When to use this project

Lynis is a strong choice when you need a lightweight, self hosted option for security and compliance auditing on UNIX-based systems. Teams should consider alternatives if they require integration with cloud-native infrastructure or a more automated vulnerability management workflow.

Team fit and typical use cases

Security engineers and system administrators benefit most from Lynis by using it to perform regular system hardening and compliance checks. DevOps teams incorporate it into their security pipelines to ensure ongoing vulnerability detection. It is commonly used in products and environments where maintaining strict compliance and robust security posture on UNIX and Linux servers is essential.

Topics and ecosystem

auditing compliance devops devops-tools gdpr hardening hipaa linux pci-dss security-audit security-hardening security-scanner security-tools security-vulnerability shell system-hardening unix vulnerability-assessment vulnerability-detection vulnerability-scanners

Activity and freshness

Latest commit on GitHub: 2025-11-25. Activity data is based on repeated RepoPi snapshots of the GitHub repository. It gives a quick, factual view of how alive the project is.