ness-cis-scanner
CIS compliance assessment. Without arguments it runs the assessment and returns JSON; normally invoked by ness-core-service. Requires the CIS Benchmarks module in the license.
Commands are run by name (the installer adds the binaries to PATH). On Windows, run them in PowerShell as administrator (recommended; required where marked "Yes"). On macOS and Linux, with sudo.
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
| Argument | Description | Example | Requires admin |
|---|---|---|---|
--json | JSON output. | ness-cis-scanner --json | Recommended |
--status | Shows the active license and detected OS. | ness-cis-scanner --status | Recommended |
--doctor | Health check: admin rights, license, connectivity and OS. | ness-cis-scanner --doctor | Recommended |
--version, -v | Shows the version. | ness-cis-scanner --version | Recommended |
--help, -h | Shows help. | ness-cis-scanner --help | Recommended |
On macOS, the CIS assessment runs with sudo ness-core-service --scan-cis.
| Argument | Description | Example | Requires admin |
|---|---|---|---|
--json | JSON output (invoked by ness-core-service). | sudo ness-cis-scanner --json | Yes (sudo) |
Source
Agent binaries help (--help) on Windows, macOS and Linux; NESS confirmations (Oct-2026).