Alternatives to HardenedBSD

A security-hardened fork of FreeBSD that adds exploit mitigations such as ASLR. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as HardenedBSD.

  • OpenBSD

    A free, security-focused BSD Unix operating system that runs on many hardware platforms.

    FreeOpen sourceCommand line

    OpenBSD is a separate security-focused BSD rather than a FreeBSD fork, with integrated cryptography, OpenSSH and support for many hardware platforms.

  • Kicksecure

    Hardened Debian derivative with kernel hardening and exploit mitigations.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    Kicksecure moves you to a hardened Debian derivative with kernel hardening by default, and an existing Debian install can be converted instead of reinstalled.

Also worth comparing

These listings name HardenedBSD as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • Qubes OS

    Operating system that compartmentalises work into isolated virtual machines.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    HardenedBSD adds exploit mitigations such as ASLR on top of FreeBSD rather than compartmentalising work, and it is aimed at users already comfortable with FreeBSD.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.