CIQ Delivers Technical Preview of Security Hardened Enterprise Linux

Rocky Linux from CIQ - Hardened delivers Enterprise Linux optimized for environments with stringent security requirements

RENO, Nev., March 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CIQ, the driver of modern software infrastructure for the age of AI, announced the availability of a preview of Rocky Linux from CIQ - Hardened, a version of Enterprise Linux that is optimized for environments with the most stringent security requirements such as stronger password policies, memory corruption detection, kernel integrity checking and SSH restrictions. The product delivers Rocky Linux via secure supply chain and packages, pre-configured security, code level hardening that blocks commonly used exploit paths, automated security updates, enhanced threat detection and premier support, all while maintaining API and application binary interface (ABI) compatibility with the Enterprise Linux standard.

As the speed, sophistication and volume of attacks on corporate systems accelerate, CISOs and IT security teams struggle to apply an effective and consistent Linux security policy across all their servers. With Rocky Linux from CIQ - Hardened, they can deploy a trusted version of Enterprise Linux and be assured that it is delivered securely, configured correctly, is up to date and protects their apps and services from malicious threats. Further, they have access to the support and services from Linux experts that can not only troubleshoot issues, but proactively help them with their unique security requirements.

"The creation of Rocky Linux from CIQ - Hardened was a direct result of the countless conversations I have had with security-concerned IT executives," said Gregory Kurtzer, CEO of CIQ. "Organizations struggle to consistently thwart security attacks across their Linux environments where even a single exploit poses a major risk. Rocky Linux from CIQ - Hardened makes it harder for malicious attackers to break into critical software infrastructure by providing a more secure foundation and defense in depth while maintaining compatibility with the Enterprise Linux standard."

The CIQ team has researched common security threat vectors and have actively addressed limiting these in this version. The product delivers:

• System Level Hardening: Minimizes zero-day and CVE risks by eliminating many of the potential attack surfaces and common exploit vectors.
• Accelerated Risk Mitigation: Addresses security threats ahead of standard updates, significantly reducing exposure time.
• Strong Access Controls: Implements advanced password hashing, strict authentication policies and hardened access controls.
• Advanced Threat Detection: Detects sophisticated intrusions that evade traditional security with Linux Kernel Runtime Guard (LKRG).
• Simple Deployment: Delivers pre-hardened systems, saving time and resources on security configurations.
• Enterprise Linux: Compatible with the Enterprise Linux standards.

A hardened operating system is typically the baseline of an overall strategy. However, attack vectors constantly change and ensuring consistent coverage across all systems is a challenge. Rocky Linux from CIQ - Hardened is built on the standard Rocky Linux from CIQ base and is delivered and validated via secure supply chain, with all security patches and updates applied promptly. And in the case of any issues, the CIQ team provides support to help mitigate issues or troubleshoot problems.

"I am excited to see the release of a security enhanced Linux distribution," said Alexander Peslyak (aka Solar Designer), lead for the Openwall GNU/*/Linux project for two decades and now an employee of CIQ. "While most distributions still fix individual CVEs one at a time, Rocky Linux from CIQ - Hardened will fix CVEs and also learn and introduce changes so it can proactively mitigate entire classes of similar bugs that are not yet discovered or patched."

This hardened Linux distribution delivers a stable and secure platform, minimizing downtime and simplifying security management. It is ideal for sensitive infrastructure and allows organizations to focus on their core mission, not operating system maintenance.

As always, all of the CIQ open source work is done in the open and can be found in the following public Git repositories for others to leverage and contribute back to. Interested users can sign up to access and validate the technical preview of Rocky Linux from CIQ - Hardened. The preview will be available on March 20 from the CIQ customer portal and the cloud marketplaces. Additionally, a webinar outlining the details of the release will be aired on March 19, 2025.

About CIQ
CIQ delivers secure and performant software infrastructure for the demands of all modern workloads, from the most mundane to the most extreme HPC and AI jobs. We believe infrastructure should drive the future of your business and that both the operating system of a single machine and the orchestration layer to manage a cluster of machines and even hybrid environments needs to be optimized for your requirements. We are an open source company who has started and/or contributed to critical infrastructure projects such as Rocky Linux, Warewulf, Ascender and Apptainer.

SOURCE CIQ