Cybersecurity-Projects/PROJECTS/beginner/linux-cis-hardening-auditor/README.md

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CIS Benchmark compliance auditor for Linux systems with scored reporting, baseline comparison, and remediation guidance.

This is a quick overview — security theory, architecture, and full walkthroughs are in the learn modules.

What It Does

• Audit Linux systems against 104 CIS Benchmark controls (Debian/Ubuntu)
• Check filesystem hardening, services, network parameters, logging, SSH, and user accounts
• Generate scored compliance reports in terminal, JSON, or HTML format
• Compare results against a saved baseline to detect regressions and improvements
• Provide specific remediation commands for every failed control
• Support Level 1 and Level 2 benchmark profiles
• Run in test mode against mock fixtures without root access

Quick Start

./install.sh
sudo cisaudit

[!TIP] This project uses just as a command runner. Type just to see all available commands.

Install: curl -sSf https://just.systems/install.sh | bash -s -- --to ~/.local/bin

Commands

Command	Description
sudo cisaudit	Run full audit with terminal output
sudo cisaudit -l 1	Audit Level 1 controls only
sudo cisaudit -f json -o report.json	Generate JSON report
sudo cisaudit -f html -o report.html	Generate HTML report
sudo cisaudit -c 5	Audit only Section 5 (Access/Auth)
cisaudit --list-controls	List all 104 registered controls
sudo cisaudit -s baseline.json	Save current results as baseline
sudo cisaudit -b baseline.json	Compare against a previous baseline
cisaudit -t testdata/fixtures	Run against test fixtures (no root needed)

Options

Flag	Default	Description
-l, --level	all	Benchmark level: 1, 2, or all
-f, --format	terminal	Output format: terminal, json, html
-o, --output	stdout	Write report to file
-c, --categories	all	Categories to audit: 1,2,3,4,5,6
-t, --test-root	/	System root for testing
--threshold	0	Minimum pass % to exit 0
-q, --quiet	off	Suppress progress output

CIS Benchmark Sections

#	Section	Controls
1	Initial Setup	20
2	Services	18
3	Network Configuration	20
4	Logging and Auditing	18
5	Access, Authentication and Authorization	18
6	System Maintenance	10
	Total	104

Examples

sudo cisaudit -l 1 -f json -o report.json

sudo cisaudit -c 3,5 -f terminal

sudo cisaudit -s baselines/march.json
sudo cisaudit -b baselines/march.json

cisaudit -t testdata/fixtures -f json | python3 -m json.tool

Learn

This project includes step-by-step learning materials covering security theory, architecture, and implementation.

Module	Topic
00 - Overview	Prerequisites and quick start
01 - Concepts	CIS benchmarks, real breaches, and compliance frameworks
02 - Architecture	System design, module layout, and data flow
03 - Implementation	Code walkthrough with file references
04 - Challenges	Extension ideas and exercises

License

AGPL 3.0