This curated repository lists security tools related to macOS and iOS, organized by platform and topic.
Open source
20 alternativesLynis
Audit Linux, macOS, and Unix systems for security configuration and compliance with Lynis.
About Lynis
Lynis is a security auditing tool for UNIX-based systems, including Linux, macOS, and BSD. It runs on the system being audited and tests its security defenses. It also gathers general system information, checks for vulnerable software packages and possible configuration issues, and provides tips for further hardening.
The project lists automated security auditing, compliance testing (for example ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and HIPAA), and vulnerability detection among its main goals. It also lists assistance with configuration and asset management, patch management, system hardening, penetration testing (privilege escalation), and intrusion detection. Lynis can be installed from distribution packages, RPM or DEB files, or a git clone, and the git method requires no compilation. Some distribution packages may be out of date, in which case the project recommends its own repository, the website tarball, or the latest GitHub release.
Key features
- Security audit of Linux, macOS, BSD, and other UNIX-based systems
- Runs on the system itself to test its security defenses
- Checks for vulnerable software packages and possible configuration issues
- Provides tips for further system hardening
- Compliance testing references ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and HIPAA
- Installable from packages, RPM or DEB files, or a git clone
Best for: System administrators, auditors, security officers, penetration testers, and security professionals who need to audit UNIX-based systems.
Good for
- Open source, so the software can be inspected and changed
- The git version requires no compilation or installation
- Covers both security auditing and hardening guidance
Watch out for
- Some distributions provide packages that are not up to date
- Running as root or with sudo requires changing file ownership, or Lynis warns about file permissions
Lynis at a glance
- Website
- github.com/CISOfy/lynis
- Category
- Privacy & Security › Desktop & OS Privacy
- Type
- Open-source project
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Linux, macOS
- Open source
- Yes · Source code
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
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Lynis FAQ
Can Lynis be run as root or with sudo?
Yes. The project suggests changing the ownership of the Lynis files to root (user ID 0) using chown -R 0:0. Otherwise Lynis warns about file permissions, because it executes files owned by a non-privileged user.
Does Lynis need to be compiled or formally installed to run?
The git version needs no compilation or installation. After cloning the repository, you run cd lynis && ./lynis audit system.
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