system checklist
 

Has anyone come across a system lock-down tool or program that might check a system and give the user some sort of report to provide some specific guidance of vulnerable areas that need attention?

You might like to read Unspawn's post3 in the sticky post at the top of this section.
I found Tiger to be good, though it takes a bit of sussing out. An easy way to get started may be to check out Bastille, a simple to use hardening program that almost certainly exists as an RPM. It depends a bit on your experience.
Follow up Unspawn's links in the above post, there is a plethora of info there.