Linux Hardening Toolkit

This toolkit helps system administrators apply CIS Benchmark-aligned hardening for Ubuntu Linux environments (18.04–24.04 LTS), with WSL compatibility and automation.

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📦 Folder Structure

linux-hardening-toolkit/
├── README.md
├── VERSION
├── CHANGELOG.md
├── harden_launcher.sh
├── scripts/
│   ├── gnome2.sh
│   └── [other .sh scripts...]

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✅ Supported Ubuntu Versions

• 18.04 LTS
• 20.04 LTS
• 22.04 LTS ✅ tested
• 24.04.3 LTS ✅ tested
• WSL2 ✅ supported (with automatic exclusions)

🔒 Uses CIS Level 1 Workstation guidance by default.

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🔖 Version

Current Version: v1.1.1 Released: July 2, 2025 Maintainer: Alison Peterson

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🚀 What's New in v1.1.1

• ✅ Added -y to all apt install/remove/upgrade commands to suppress interactive prompts
• ✅ Replaced ufw enable with ufw --force enable to avoid SSH disruption confirmation
• ✅ Confirmed compatibility with Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS
• 📁 All scripts remain flattened under scripts/
• 🔧 Logs enhanced at /var/log/hardening.log

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⚙️ How to Use

1. Clone the Repository

From any Linux system:

git clone https://github.com/SDSU-Research-CI/linux-hardening-toolkit.git
cd linux-hardening-toolkit
sudo chmod +x harden_launcher.sh
sudo ./harden_launcher.sh

📝 Note: No need to manually upload or unzip files — run everything directly from the cloned folder.

2. Follow the prompts:

   • Detects user and OS automatically
   • Smart detection of script folder
   • Runs critical scripts in order, then all others
   • Logs each result to /var/log/hardening.log

3. Review Logs & Reboot if Needed

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🛠 Post-Run Checklist

• ✅ Review /etc/ssh/sshd_config
• ✅ Run CIS-CAT Assessor for scoring
• ✅ Apply kernel upgrades (if prompted)
• ✅ Reboot to apply new modules and microcode

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📬 Contributions

Please coordinate through the Linux Working Group if you'd like to extend this for:

• CIS Level 2 or STIG compliance
• Server profile customization
• Cloud-init or remote automation

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© San Diego State University · College of Science · 2025

Maintained by: Alison Peterson