CIS-CAT Pro Assessor vs Lynis
CIS-CAT Pro Assessor
cisecurity.orgLynis
cisofy.comSide by side
| Figure | CIS-CAT Pro Assessor | Lynis |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $200/mo | $3/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 12 | 3 |
| Spec score · Security Configuration Management Software | 9.4 (#2) | 8.2 (#7) |
| Founded | 2000 | 2007 |
| Headquarters | East Greenbush, New York, United States | Vlijmen, The Netherlands |
| Purpose | CIS-CAT Pro Assessor scans systems and reports their compliance with CIS Benchmarks. | Lynis performs security health scans to support system hardening and compliance testing on Linux, macOS, and Unix based systems. |
| Requirements | The v4 guide lists a multi-core processor, at least 2 GB RAM, 5 GB free disk space, and administrator privileges for local assessments. | The download page lists shell and basic utilities as requirements and says normal-user or preferably root permissions are needed. |
Plans
CIS-CAT Pro Assessor
- CIS-CAT LiteFree
- CIS SecureSuite End User Membership (up to 99 employees)$2,400 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User (up to 99 employees)$2,400 a year
- CIS SecureSuite Controls Membership$3,600 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User (100–499 employees)$5,500 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User Membership (100–499 employees)$5,500 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User (500–999 employees)$7,900 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User Membership (500–999 employees)$7,900 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User Membership (1,000–4,999 employees)$10,900 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User Membership (5,000–24,999 employees)$12,800 a year
Lynis
- LynisFree
- Lynis Enterprise - SaaS premium$36 a year
- Lynis Enterprise - Self-hostedPriced on request
In their own words
CIS-CAT Pro Assessor
CIS-CAT Pro Assessor has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Lynis
Lynis performs security health scans to support system hardening and compliance testing on Linux, macOS, and Unix-based systems. Its stated uses also include security auditing, penetration testing, and vulnerability detection, for audiences such as developers, system administrators, IT auditors, and penetration testers. The tool checks components and tools found on each system through modular, opportunistic scans and is described as having almost no dependencies. It includes 300+ built-in tests and allows custom tests. Results appear on screen; technical details go to a log file, while warnings and suggestions are kept in a separate report. Lynis can help test security practices associated with CIS benchmarks, NIST, NSA, OpenSCAP data, and vendor guides. Listed systems include AIX, FreeBSD, HP-UX, Linux, macOS, NetBSD, NixOS, OpenBSD, and Solaris, along with Raspberry Pi, IoT, and QNAP devices. The free GPLv3 version costs nothing and comes without warranties or support. Lynis Enterprise SaaS is listed at $36 a year per system, billed annually; self-hosted Enterprise pricing is by quote.