Secure OS

Check whether an operating system or network device is configured and patched securely, by running cnspec against it. cnspec carries the policies; this skill routes the outcome ("is this host hardened?") to the right scan and reads the result.

When to use

• Auditing a server, workstation, VM, or container image against a CIS / vendor benchmark.
• Checking a host for missing patches and vulnerable packages.
• Hardening a network device (Cisco IOS-XE/-XR/NX-OS, Arista EOS, FortiOS, Junos, PAN-OS).

For scanning the code or IaC an agent writes, use secure-pipeline instead — this skill is for the posture of a running (or imaged) system.

What cnspec checks

cnspec ships hardening + vulnerability policies for, among others:

• Linux — mondoo-linux-security, mondoo-linux-workstation-security, operational/SNMP policies
• macOS — mondoo-macos-security
• Windows — mondoo-windows-security, mondoo-windows-workstation-security, update readiness
• Network devices — mondoo-cisco-iosxe/iosxr/nxos-security, mondoo-arista-eos-security, mondoo-fortios-security, mondoo-junos-security, mondoo-panos-security

Run a scan

cnspec scan local                       -o sarif   # the machine you're on
cnspec scan ssh <user>@<host>           -o sarif   # a remote host over SSH
cnspec scan docker <image|container>    -o sarif   # a container image or running container
# network devices connect over SSH / vendor API — see the cnspec provider docs

• Logged in to Mondoo Platform, cnspec runs the policies assigned to the asset automatically. Otherwise add --incognito and -f <bundle> (e.g. -f mondoo-linux-security.mql.yaml) to run a specific bundle locally — see cnspec install & usage.
• -o sarif emits findings for a code-review UI / CI gate; cnspec exits non-zero on failures.

Reference, don't duplicate

cnspec owns the policies and their authoring (its mql / policy-graph skills live in the cnspec repo). This skill invokes cnspec and interprets results — it does not reimplement policy. For the exact provider connection and auth per target, follow the cnspec docs.

Compliance

cnspec policies carry framework mappings (CIS benchmarks, DISA STIG, SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, and vendor hardening guides), so a scan doubles as a compliance check — filter or report by the framework you need.

Part of the secure-your-stack toolkit

secure-os is the host/device pillar of posture. Its siblings cover the rest of what you run — secure-cloud (cloud accounts), secure-saas (SaaS & identity), secure-ai-services (AI services & tooling) — while the secure development skills (secure-coding, secure-pipeline, …) secure the code you ship onto these systems. Needs cnspec (install) plus access to the target.