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Platform/Linux & Unix Hardening
Linux & Unix Hardening

Coming soon Not available today.

Read the setting.
Respect the system.

A hardening recommendation needs more than a target value. Compare effective settings with persistent configuration, identify the service or workload they affect, and make the operational trade-off explicit.

The examples below describe planned scope. Contact us to discuss your requirements; this capability is not currently available for evaluation.

Discuss planned scope

Operating-system families

Configuration notebook

What is written. What takes effect.

Illustrative read-only inspection

Three inspection examples, not a live assessment. Configuration, effective settings and runtime state answer different questions. No host changes are performed here.

Kernel & network

Linux · sysctl
Configured intent

/etc/sysctl.d/60-local.conf

# Local host policykernel.kptr_restrict = 2net.ipv4.ip_forward = 0
Runtime values
$ sysctl kernel.kptr_restrict net.ipv4.ip_forward
kernel.kptr_restrict = 1
net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1
Example observation · no execution
kptr_restrict0 Hash pointers1 Restrict %pK by privilege2 Zero %pK for all readers

A difference is a question, not a verdict.

A file records intent; sysctl reads loaded values. Forwarding may be necessary on a router or container host. Compare the host’s role and applicable configuration before treating either difference as a security finding.

Kernel reference

Services & access

OpenSSH · connection context
Configuration excerpt

/etc/ssh/sshd_config

Include /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/*.confPermitRootLogin noMatch User deploy Address 192.0.2.0/24    PasswordAuthentication no
Effective configuration · selected output
$ sshd -T -C user=deploy,addr=192.0.2.10,host=host.example
permitrootlogin no
passwordauthentication no
Example observation · no execution

Read the connection, not just the file.

Include files and Match conditions can change the effective configuration for a particular user and address. This read-only evaluation requires access to the relevant configuration and keys; it does not confirm what a running daemon has loaded.

OpenSSH reference

Unix differences

Oracle Solaris · SMF
Editing configuration · read-only query

svc:/system/identity:node

$ svccfg -s svc:/system/identity:node \    listprop config/nodenameconfig/nodename astring sol-lab-01
Running snapshot · selected property
$ svcprop -p config/nodename svc:/system/identity:node
sol-lab-01
Example observation · no execution

Same question. A different operating model.

Solaris SMF distinguishes editing configuration from the running snapshot read by svcprop. This identity property illustrates that distinction—not a hardening score. Linux sysctl names are not portable checks; interpretation must follow the operating system, release and native service model.

Solaris reference
Evaluation design

Follow the evidence.
Define the boundary.

A useful evaluation agrees the input, context and decision record before measuring the result.

  1. Host identity

    Operating system, release, kernel and workload role

  2. Persistent intent

    Configuration file, package or service property

  3. Effective state

    Observed value and collection time where permitted

  4. Decision trail

    Recommendation, exception, owner and retest

Inputs

What you provide

Agree the host families, versions and roles together with the read-only collection model—agent, SSH or controlled bastion—and its minimum privileges.

Context

What must stay attached

Interpret packages, services, users, files, SSH, kernel, audit and firewall settings against the exact release and workload. Include reboot or service-impact constraints.

Output

What the review should retain

Keep configured intent, effective value, source, host identity, observation time and any operational exception in one reviewable record.

Boundary

What it must not imply

A generic baseline is not a compliance certificate or a safe remediation plan. Selected derivatives do not imply version parity, and licensed benchmarks require separate agreement.

Review in depth

A baseline is a reference.
Not a substitute for context.

Review settings alongside the operating-system release and the host’s actual role.

Compare effective and persistent configuration.

A file entry is not proof of the current value. Loading order, overrides and later runtime changes can matter. Preserve the observed value, the configuration source and collection time instead of treating them as interchangeable.

Connect the recommendation to the workload.

Network forwarding may be required by a router or container host. Service access, filesystem permissions and kernel settings need a reasoned baseline, an operational impact assessment and documented exceptions—not a universal list of zeroes and ones.

Respect Unix-specific mechanisms.

Solaris is not a Linux distribution. Its SMF service properties and administrative interfaces need separate interpretation. Kernel options, package defaults and configuration paths also vary between Linux releases and derivatives; family names alone do not establish compatibility.

Your environment. Your constraints.

Describe your environment.
Define the review.

Discuss your stack, access model and review requirements with the TraceMint team.

Discuss planned scope Explore the platform