Hardens Linux endpoints using CIS Benchmark recommendations for Ubuntu, RHEL, and CentOS to reduce attack surface, enforce security baselines, and meet compliance requirements. Use when deploying new Linux servers, remediating audit findings, or establishing security baselines for Linux infrastructure. Activates for requests involving Linux hardening, CIS benchmarks for Linux, server security baselines, or Linux configuration compliance.
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AI-first code editor with Composer
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
node --versionhardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmarkExecute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
Fetches hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark from mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills and configures it for Cursor.
The CLI shows a list of agents. Use arrow keys and space to select Cursor:
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
Restart Cursor to activate hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark. Access via /hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark in your agent's command palette.
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
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| name | hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark |
| description | 'Hardens Linux endpoints using CIS Benchmark recommendations for Ubuntu, RHEL, and CentOS to reduce attack surface, enforce security baselines, and meet compliance requirements. Use when deploying new Linux servers, remediating audit findings, or establishing security baselines for Linux infrastructure. Activates for requests involving Linux hardening, CIS benchmarks for Linux, server security baselines, or Linux configuration compliance. ' |
| domain | cybersecurity |
| subdomain | endpoint-security |
| tags | - endpoint - hardening - linux-security - CIS-benchmark - Ubuntu - RHEL |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| author | mahipal |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| nist_csf | - PR.PS-01 - PR.PS-02 - DE.CM-01 - PR.IR-01 |
Use this skill when:
Do not use for Windows hardening (use hardening-windows-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark).
# 1.1.1 Disable unused filesystems
cat >> /etc/modprobe.d/CIS.conf << 'EOF'
install cramfs /bin/true
install freevxfs /bin/true
install jffs2 /bin/true
install hfs /bin/true
install hfsplus /bin/true
install squashfs /bin/true
install udf /bin/true
EOF
# 1.1.2 Ensure /tmp is a separate partition with nodev,nosuid,noexec
# /etc/fstab entry:
# tmpfs /tmp tmpfs defaults,rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,relatime 0 0
systemctl unmask tmp.mount
systemctl enable tmp.mount
# 1.1.8 Ensure nodev option on /dev/shm
mount -o remount,nodev,nosuid,noexec /dev/shm
echo "tmpfs /dev/shm tmpfs defaults,nodev,nosuid,noexec 0 0" >> /etc/fstab
# 1.4 Secure boot settings
chown root:root /boot/grub/grub.cfg
chmod 600 /boot/grub/grub.cfg
# Set GRUB password
grub-mkpasswd-pbkdf2 # Generate hash, add to /etc/grub.d/40_custom
# 2.1 Disable unnecessary services
systemctl disable --now avahi-daemon
systemctl disable --now cups
systemctl disable --now rpcbind
systemctl disable --now xinetd
# 2.2 Ensure NTP is configured
apt install chrony -y # or systemd-timesyncd
systemctl enable --now chrony
# 3.1 Network parameters (host only, not router)
cat >> /etc/sysctl.d/99-cis.conf << 'EOF'
net.ipv4.ip_forward = 0
net.ipv4.conf.all.send_redirects = 0
net.ipv4.conf.default.send_redirects = 0
net.ipv4.conf.all.accept_source_route = 0
net.ipv4.conf.default.accept_source_route = 0
net.ipv4.conf.all.accept_redirects = 0
net.ipv4.conf.default.accept_redirects = 0
net.ipv4.conf.all.secure_redirects = 0
net.ipv4.conf.default.secure_redirects = 0
net.ipv4.conf.all.log_martians = 1
net.ipv4.conf.default.log_martians = 1
net.ipv4.icmp_echo_ignore_broadcasts = 1
net.ipv4.icmp_ignore_bogus_error_responses = 1
net.ipv4.conf.all.rp_filter = 1
net.ipv4.conf.default.rp_filter = 1
net.ipv4.tcp_syncookies = 1
net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_ra = 0
net.ipv6.conf.default.accept_ra = 0
EOF
sysctl --system
# 3.4 Configure firewall (UFW or firewalld)
ufw enable
ufw default deny incoming
ufw default allow outgoing
ufw allow ssh
# 5.2 SSH Server Configuration (/etc/ssh/sshd_config)
sed -i 's/#Protocol 2/Protocol 2/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
cat >> /etc/ssh/sshd_config << 'EOF'
LogLevel VERBOSE
MaxAuthTries 4
PermitRootLogin no
PermitEmptyPasswords no
PasswordAuthentication no
X11Forwarding no
MaxStartups 10:30:60
LoginGraceTime 60
AllowTcpForwarding no
ClientAliveInterval 300
ClientAliveCountMax 3
EOF
systemctl restart sshd
# 5.3 Password policy (PAM)
# /etc/security/pwquality.conf
minlen = 14
dcredit = -1
ucredit = -1
ocredit = -1
lcredit = -1
# 5.4 User account settings
# /etc/login.defs
PASS_MAX_DAYS 365
PASS_MIN_DAYS 1
PASS_WARN_AGE 7
# Lock inactive accounts
useradd -D -f 30
# Install and configure auditd
apt install auditd audispd-plugins -y
systemctl enable --now auditd
# /etc/audit/rules.d/cis.rules
cat > /etc/audit/rules.d/cis.rules << 'EOF'
-w /etc/sudoers -p wa -k scope
-w /etc/sudoers.d/ -p wa -k scope
-w /var/log/sudo.log -p wa -k actions
-a always,exit -F arch=b64 -S adjtimex -S settimeofday -k time-change
-a always,exit -F arch=b64 -S sethostname -S setdomainname -k system-locale
-w /etc/group -p wa -k identity
-w /etc/passwd -p wa -k identity
-w /etc/shadow -p wa -k identity
-w /var/log/faillog -p wa -k logins
-w /var/log/lastlog -p wa -k logins
-a always,exit -F arch=b64 -S chmod -S fchmod -S fchmodat -k perm_mod
-a always,exit -F arch=b64 -S unlink -S rmdir -S rename -k delete
-w /sbin/insmod -p x -k modules
-w /sbin/modprobe -p x -k modules
-e 2
EOF
augenrules --load
# Configure rsyslog for remote logging
echo "*.* @@syslog-server.corp.com:514" >> /etc/rsyslog.d/50-remote.conf
systemctl restart rsyslog
# Install OpenSCAP
apt install openscap-scanner scap-security-guide -y
# Run CIS benchmark assessment
oscap xccdf eval \
--profile xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_profile_cis_level1_server \
--results /tmp/cis_results.xml \
--report /tmp/cis_report.html \
/usr/share/xml/scap/ssg/content/ssg-ubuntu2204-ds.xml
# View HTML report in browser for detailed results
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| OpenSCAP | Open-source SCAP (Security Content Automation Protocol) scanner for automated compliance |
| auditd | Linux audit framework for monitoring system calls and file access |
| PAM | Pluggable Authentication Modules; configurable authentication framework for Linux |
| sysctl | Linux kernel parameter configuration for network and system security tuning |
| AIDE | Advanced Intrusion Detection Environment; file integrity checker for Linux |
Prerequisites
Time Estimate
15-45 minutes depending on use case complexity
Steps
Common Pitfalls
✓ Do
✗ Don't
💡 Pro Tips
✓ Use when
Use when skill capabilities match your task, clear ROI on time saved, and you can validate outputs. Best for repetitive tasks, learning, and quality improvement.
✗ Avoid when
Avoid when task requires deep expertise you can't validate, involves sensitive decisions, or when learning process is more valuable than speed of completion.
mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills
mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills
mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills
mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills
mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills
mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills
hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.
Keeps context tight: hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.
hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.
We added hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.
Registry listing for hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.
hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.
hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.
hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
Useful defaults in hardening-linux-endpoint-with-cis-benchmark — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.
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