Azure now checks your Linux machines' security against the CIS benchmark automatically

Microsoft has added built-in checking of Linux servers against the CIS Benchmark security standards in Azure — and the feature is already generally available. It works in Azure and Azure Arc through Azure Machine Configuration, continuously comparing Linux system settings against the globally recognized CIS requirements. Azure itself finds weak spots in the configuration, flags drift from the desired settings, and produces compliance reports via Azure Policy; rules can be customized and exceptions defined. Previously this required separate tools or manual checks — now it's all built in, making it easier for security teams to tidy things up and demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements across many servers at once.