diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 3f94bec..cae1fbf 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ Read these first:
 - `remove_user_interactive.sh`
 - `remove_user_guided.sh`
 - `remove_user_from_repos.sh`
+- `scripts/`
 - `git-work-safety-tools/`
 - `github_access_scripts/`
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8df7a5f..99e473d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ These are for scanning many repositories, checking dirty state, and performing s
 
 - Root `*.sh` files
   - Main Bash-based GitHub and maintenance utilities.
+- `scripts/`
+  - Named operational scripts that are more self-contained than the older root-level helpers.
 - `git-work-safety-tools/`
   - Safer multi-repo git helpers.
 - `github_access_scripts/`
diff --git a/docs/getting-started.md b/docs/getting-started.md
index 8c2a460..5a6dcf0 100644
--- a/docs/getting-started.md
+++ b/docs/getting-started.md
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ Start with:
 - `remove_user_interactive.sh`
 - `remove_user_guided.sh`
 - `remove_user_from_repos.sh`
+- `scripts/ubuntu-vm-security-update.sh` for Ubuntu VM hardening and update automation
 
 ### If You Need Multi-Repo Git Helpers
 
diff --git a/docs/repo-map.md b/docs/repo-map.md
index 8e30af2..f255cbd 100644
--- a/docs/repo-map.md
+++ b/docs/repo-map.md
@@ -57,6 +57,14 @@ Key files:
 - `multi_repo_status.sh`
 - `multi_repo_interactive_fix.sh`
 
+### `scripts/`
+
+Self-contained operational scripts that do not fit the older root-level naming pattern.
+
+Key files:
+
+- `ubuntu-vm-security-update.sh`
+
 ### `github_access_scripts/`
 
 Focused GitHub access checks.
diff --git a/scripts/ubuntu-vm-security-update.sh b/scripts/ubuntu-vm-security-update.sh
index ebb9ed6..42eaca1 100644
--- a/scripts/ubuntu-vm-security-update.sh
+++ b/scripts/ubuntu-vm-security-update.sh
@@ -1,21 +1,23 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 set -Eeuo pipefail
 
-# vm-security-update.sh
+# ubuntu-vm-security-update.sh
 # Robust Ubuntu VM security update + unattended-upgrades setup.
 # No Ubuntu Pro / paid features.
 #
 # Usage:
-#   sudo bash vm-security-update.sh
-#   sudo bash vm-security-update.sh --no-reboot
-#   sudo bash vm-security-update.sh --no-auto-reboot
-#   sudo bash vm-security-update.sh --dry-run
+#   sudo bash ubuntu-vm-security-update.sh
+#   sudo bash ubuntu-vm-security-update.sh --no-reboot
+#   sudo bash ubuntu-vm-security-update.sh --no-auto-reboot
+#   sudo bash ubuntu-vm-security-update.sh --dry-run
 
 LOG_FILE="/var/log/vm-security-update.log"
 AUTO_REBOOT="true"
 REBOOT_NOW="true"
 DRY_RUN="false"
 AUTO_REBOOT_TIME="04:00"
+SSH_PORT_OVERRIDE=""
+SCRIPT_NAME="$(basename "$0")"
 
 export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
 export NEEDRESTART_MODE=a
@@ -31,18 +33,22 @@ die() {
 
 usage() {
   cat <<EOF
-Usage: sudo bash $0 [options]
+Usage: sudo bash $SCRIPT_NAME [options]
 
 Options:
   --no-reboot        Do not reboot at the end even if reboot is required
   --no-auto-reboot   Do not configure unattended-upgrades automatic reboot
+  --auto-reboot-time HH:MM
+                     Set unattended-upgrades auto reboot time (default: $AUTO_REBOOT_TIME)
+  --ssh-port PORT    Override detected SSH port when configuring UFW
   --dry-run          Show what would be done without applying changes
   --help             Show this help
 
 Examples:
-  sudo bash $0
-  sudo bash $0 --no-reboot
-  sudo bash $0 --no-auto-reboot
+  sudo bash $SCRIPT_NAME
+  sudo bash $SCRIPT_NAME --no-reboot
+  sudo bash $SCRIPT_NAME --no-auto-reboot
+  sudo bash $SCRIPT_NAME --ssh-port 2222
 EOF
 }
 
@@ -62,23 +68,109 @@ run_bash() {
   bash -c "$*"
 }
 
-for arg in "$@"; do
-  case "$arg" in
+safe_write_file() {
+  local target="$1"
+  local mode="$2"
+  local tmp
+
+  tmp="$(mktemp)"
+  cat > "$tmp"
+
+  if [[ -f "$target" ]] && cmp -s "$tmp" "$target"; then
+    log "No change needed for $target"
+    rm -f "$tmp"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  log "Writing $target"
+
+  if [[ "$DRY_RUN" == "true" ]]; then
+    rm -f "$tmp"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  install -m "$mode" "$tmp" "$target"
+  rm -f "$tmp"
+}
+
+have_systemd() {
+  command -v systemctl >/dev/null 2>&1 && [[ -d /run/systemd/system ]]
+}
+
+ensure_service_enabled_and_restarted() {
+  local service="$1"
+
+  if ! have_systemd; then
+    log "systemd not detected. Skipping enable/restart for $service"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  run systemctl enable "$service"
+  run systemctl restart "$service"
+}
+
+detect_ssh_port() {
+  local detected_port=""
+
+  if [[ -n "$SSH_PORT_OVERRIDE" ]]; then
+    echo "$SSH_PORT_OVERRIDE"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  if command -v sshd >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    detected_port="$(sshd -T 2>/dev/null | awk '$1 == "port" {print $2; exit}')"
+  fi
+
+  if [[ -z "$detected_port" ]] && [[ -f /etc/ssh/sshd_config ]]; then
+    detected_port="$(awk '
+      $1 ~ /^[Pp]ort$/ && $2 ~ /^[0-9]+$/ {print $2}
+    ' /etc/ssh/sshd_config | tail -n 1)"
+  fi
+
+  if [[ -z "$detected_port" ]]; then
+    detected_port="22"
+  fi
+
+  echo "$detected_port"
+}
+
+validate_time_hhmm() {
+  [[ "$1" =~ ^([01][0-9]|2[0-3]):[0-5][0-9]$ ]]
+}
+
+while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+  case "$1" in
     --no-reboot)
       REBOOT_NOW="false"
+      shift
       ;;
     --no-auto-reboot)
       AUTO_REBOOT="false"
+      shift
+      ;;
+    --auto-reboot-time)
+      [[ $# -ge 2 ]] || die "--auto-reboot-time requires a value like 04:00"
+      validate_time_hhmm "$2" || die "Invalid --auto-reboot-time value: $2"
+      AUTO_REBOOT_TIME="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    --ssh-port)
+      [[ $# -ge 2 ]] || die "--ssh-port requires a numeric port"
+      [[ "$2" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || die "Invalid --ssh-port value: $2"
+      (( "$2" >= 1 && "$2" <= 65535 )) || die "SSH port must be between 1 and 65535"
+      SSH_PORT_OVERRIDE="$2"
+      shift 2
       ;;
     --dry-run)
       DRY_RUN="true"
+      shift
       ;;
     --help|-h)
       usage
       exit 0
       ;;
     *)
-      die "Unknown argument: $arg"
+      die "Unknown argument: $1"
       ;;
   esac
 done
@@ -86,7 +178,7 @@ done
 trap 'die "Script failed near line $LINENO. Check $LOG_FILE for details."' ERR
 
 if [[ "${EUID}" -ne 0 ]]; then
-  die "Please run as root: sudo bash $0"
+  die "Please run as root: sudo bash $SCRIPT_NAME"
 fi
 
 touch "$LOG_FILE"
@@ -97,6 +189,7 @@ log "Starting Ubuntu VM security update setup"
 log "Dry run: $DRY_RUN"
 log "Auto reboot for future unattended updates: $AUTO_REBOOT"
 log "Reboot now if required: $REBOOT_NOW"
+log "Automatic reboot time: $AUTO_REBOOT_TIME"
 log "============================================================"
 
 if [[ ! -f /etc/os-release ]]; then
@@ -153,48 +246,48 @@ run apt-get full-upgrade -y
 log "Removing unused packages and cleaning apt cache"
 run apt-get autoremove --purge -y
 run apt-get autoclean
+run apt-get clean
 
 log "Configuring unattended-upgrades daily security updates"
 
-run_bash "cat > /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades <<'EOF'
-APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists \"1\";
-APT::Periodic::Download-Upgradeable-Packages \"1\";
-APT::Periodic::AutocleanInterval \"7\";
-APT::Periodic::Unattended-Upgrade \"1\";
-EOF"
+safe_write_file /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades 0644 <<'EOF'
+APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists "1";
+APT::Periodic::Download-Upgradeable-Packages "1";
+APT::Periodic::AutocleanInterval "7";
+APT::Periodic::Unattended-Upgrade "1";
+EOF
 
 # Keep origins simple and Ubuntu-safe. This uses distro variables so it works across Ubuntu versions.
-run_bash "cat > /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/51unattended-upgrades-custom <<'EOF'
+safe_write_file /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/52bytelyst-unattended-upgrades 0644 <<EOF
 Unattended-Upgrade::Origins-Pattern {
-        \"origin=Ubuntu,codename=\${distro_codename},label=Ubuntu\";
-        \"origin=Ubuntu,codename=\${distro_codename}-security,label=Ubuntu\";
-        \"origin=Ubuntu,codename=\${distro_codename}-updates,label=Ubuntu\";
+        "origin=Ubuntu,codename=\${distro_codename},label=Ubuntu";
+        "origin=Ubuntu,codename=\${distro_codename}-security,label=Ubuntu";
+        "origin=Ubuntu,codename=\${distro_codename}-updates,label=Ubuntu";
 };
 
 Unattended-Upgrade::Package-Blacklist {
 };
 
-Unattended-Upgrade::Remove-Unused-Kernel-Packages \"true\";
-Unattended-Upgrade::Remove-New-Unused-Dependencies \"true\";
-Unattended-Upgrade::Remove-Unused-Dependencies \"true\";
+Unattended-Upgrade::Remove-Unused-Kernel-Packages "true";
+Unattended-Upgrade::Remove-New-Unused-Dependencies "true";
+Unattended-Upgrade::Remove-Unused-Dependencies "true";
 
-Unattended-Upgrade::SyslogEnable \"true\";
-Unattended-Upgrade::Verbose \"false\";
+Unattended-Upgrade::SyslogEnable "true";
+Unattended-Upgrade::Verbose "false";
 
-Unattended-Upgrade::Mail \"\";
-Unattended-Upgrade::MailReport \"on-change\";
+Unattended-Upgrade::Mail "";
+Unattended-Upgrade::MailReport "on-change";
 
-Unattended-Upgrade::OnlyOnACPower \"false\";
-Unattended-Upgrade::Skip-Updates-On-Metered-Connections \"false\";
+Unattended-Upgrade::OnlyOnACPower "false";
+Unattended-Upgrade::Skip-Updates-On-Metered-Connections "false";
 
-Unattended-Upgrade::Automatic-Reboot \"${AUTO_REBOOT}\";
-Unattended-Upgrade::Automatic-Reboot-WithUsers \"false\";
-Unattended-Upgrade::Automatic-Reboot-Time \"${AUTO_REBOOT_TIME}\";
-EOF"
+Unattended-Upgrade::Automatic-Reboot "${AUTO_REBOOT}";
+Unattended-Upgrade::Automatic-Reboot-WithUsers "false";
+Unattended-Upgrade::Automatic-Reboot-Time "${AUTO_REBOOT_TIME}";
+EOF
 
 log "Enabling unattended-upgrades service if present"
-run systemctl enable unattended-upgrades || true
-run systemctl restart unattended-upgrades || true
+ensure_service_enabled_and_restarted unattended-upgrades
 
 log "Running unattended-upgrades dry-run validation"
 if [[ "$DRY_RUN" == "false" ]]; then
@@ -208,40 +301,40 @@ log "Installing and configuring basic SSH protection"
 run apt-get install -y ufw fail2ban
 
 # UFW: allow current SSH port safely.
-SSH_PORT="$(awk '
-  $1 ~ /^[Pp]ort$/ && $2 ~ /^[0-9]+$/ {print $2}
-' /etc/ssh/sshd_config | tail -n 1)"
-
-if [[ -z "$SSH_PORT" ]]; then
-  SSH_PORT="22"
-fi
+SSH_PORT="$(detect_ssh_port)"
 
 log "Detected SSH port: $SSH_PORT"
 
 run ufw allow "${SSH_PORT}/tcp" comment "SSH"
 run ufw --force enable
-run ufw status verbose | tee -a "$LOG_FILE"
+if [[ "$DRY_RUN" == "false" ]]; then
+  ufw status verbose | tee -a "$LOG_FILE"
+else
+  log "DRY RUN: skipping ufw status command"
+fi
 
 # Fail2ban minimal SSH jail.
-run_bash "mkdir -p /etc/fail2ban/jail.d"
+run mkdir -p /etc/fail2ban/jail.d
 
-run_bash "cat > /etc/fail2ban/jail.d/sshd.local <<'EOF'
+safe_write_file /etc/fail2ban/jail.d/sshd.local 0644 <<'EOF'
 [sshd]
 enabled = true
 port = ssh
 filter = sshd
-backend = systemd
+backend = auto
 maxretry = 5
 findtime = 10m
 bantime = 1h
-EOF"
+EOF
 
-run systemctl enable fail2ban
-run systemctl restart fail2ban
+ensure_service_enabled_and_restarted fail2ban
+
+if [[ "$DRY_RUN" == "false" ]] && have_systemd && command -v fail2ban-client >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  fail2ban-client ping | tee -a "$LOG_FILE" || die "fail2ban-client ping failed"
+fi
 
 log "Checking package integrity database availability"
 if [[ "$DRY_RUN" == "false" ]]; then
-  debsums_init_log="/tmp/debsums-init.log"
   if command -v debsums >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     log "debsums installed. You can later run: sudo debsums -s"
   fi