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.
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: [](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.
If you want to run the software as `root` (or sudo), we suggest changing the ownership of the files. Use `chown -R 0:0` to recursively alter the owner and group and set it to user ID `0` (`root`). Otherwise Lynis will warn you about the file permissions. After all, you are executing files owned by a non-privileged user.
* [Best of Open Source Software Awards 2016](http://www.infoworld.com/article/3121251/open-source-tools/bossie-awards-2016-the-best-open-source-networking-and-security-software.html#slide13).
* Article by TechRepublic, considering Lynis a "must-have" tool: [How to quickly audit a Linux system from the command line](http://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-quickly-audit-a-linux-system-from-the-command-line/)
* [](https://www.toolswatch.org/2016/02/2015-top-security-tools-as-voted-by-toolswatch-org-readers/)
* [Best of Open Source Software Awards 2015](http://www.idgenterprise.com/news/press-release/infoworld-announces-the-2015-best-of-open-source-software-awards/).
Do you have something to share? Want to help out with translating Lynis into your own language? Create an issue or pull request on GitHub, or send us an e-mail: lynis-dev@cisofy.com.
