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  Lynis - Frequently Asked Questions

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  Author:                   2007-2013, Michael Boelen (michael.boelen@cisofy.com)
                            2013-now, CISOfy development team
  Description:              Security and system auditing tool
  Web site:                 https://cisofy.com/lynis/
  GitHub:                   https://github.com/CISOfy/lynis
  Support address:          lynis-dev@cisofy.com
  Development:              May 2007 - Now
  Support:                  See README file and https://cisofy.com/support/
  Documentation:            See web site, README, FAQ and CHANGELOG file

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[+] General
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  Q: I don't understand the program (output), what to do?
  A: Keep reading this FAQ. Also useful are the README file and the log file
     (default: /var/log/lynis.log). Or check out the documentation on the
     website: https://cisofy.com/support/

  Q: I can't find any configuration file for Lynis, where is it?
  A: Lynis uses profiles. They are similar to a configuration file and determine
     how a security scan should be performed.

  Q: My version is outdated, what can I do to upgrade?
     Check out the upgrade guide: https://cisofy.com/documentation/lynis/upgrading/

  Q: Why is there no port/package for my operating system?
  A: Because there is no maintainer for it yet. If you have the time to keep
     the port/package current for your preferred operating system, let us know.

  Q: What to do with the report files?
  A: The output could be used for monitoring (baseline checks). For users of the
     Lynis Enterprise Suite, they will be used to upload data.



[+] Bugs or issues
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  Q: Where can I report an issue or bug?
  A: GitHub, or use the developer e-mail address lynis-dev@cisofy.com



[+] Usage problems
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  Q: Lynis hangs while testing the group files (grpck)
  A: Run the grpck command manually. It will most likely need user input, to
     repair incorrect groups.

  Q: Lynis doesn't display all messages on a white background
  A: White text is used for general (and important) messages. Most terminals
     have a dark background, so it gives extra attention to the message. However
     if you have a white background (for example Mac OS X), you can run Lynis
     with --no-colors to strip colors or --reverse-colors to reverse the color
     scheme. Another option is to change your terminal colors within Mac OS.

  Q: Some tests take very long to finish, what to do?
  A: Use a second console (or connection) and check the output of ps/lsof etc,
     to see the status of the active subroutine. If a specific test hangs for a
     very long time, try to kill that specific process (ie grpck) and see if
     Lynis continues. Afterwards, run the command manually to see the cause.
     Check the log file for additional information. Usually the last few lines
     will indicate what test is stuck.

  Q: When running Lynis, it shows me the usage help even while using correct
     parameters, why?
  A: This can happen with alternative shells. Try using a different shell to
     invoke Lynis (example: bash lynis -c).

  Q: One or more tests are giving incorrect output. How to solve that?
  A: Check the log file. If that also has incorrect data, let us know via GitHub
     or the developer e-mail address.

  Q: The program takes long to complete and also uses too much resources. Can it
     be tuned?
  A: The time it takes to complete depends on the amount of tests to run.
     However the resources it take can be slightly lowered by increasing the
     pause_between_tests profile option. Keep in mind this increases the total
     length of the scan to complete.



[+] Network related issues
-------------------------------

  Q: Lynis reports promiscuous interfaces, but they are needed for normal operation,
     how can I hide this warning?
  A: Whitelist the interface in the profile file (if_promisc).



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 Lynis - Copyright 2007-2021, Michael Boelen, CISOfy - https://cisofy.com
