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Kali Linux

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Kali Linux
DeveloperOffensive Security
OS familyLinux (Unix-like)
Working stateActive
Source modelOpen-source
Initial releaseMarch 13, 2013 (12 years ago) (2013-03-13)[1]
Latest release2025.3 Edit this on Wikidata / 23 September 2025; 26 days ago (23 September 2025)
Repository
Update methodRolling release
Package managerAPT (several front-ends available)
Supported platformsx86-64, armhf, [2] aarch64[3]
Kernel typeMonolithic (Linux)
Default
user interface		Xfce,[4] GNOME,[4] KDE[4]
LicenseGNU General Public License v3.0
Official websitewww.kali.org

Kali Linux is a Linux distribution designed for digital forensics and penetration testing.[5] It is maintained and funded by Offensive Security.[6] The software is based on the testing branch of the Debian Linux Distribution: most packages Kali uses are imported from the Debian repositories.[7] Kali Linux has gained popularity in the cybersecurity community due to its comprehensive set of tools designed for penetration testing, vulnerability analysis, and reverse engineering.

It was developed by Mati Aharoni and Devon Kearns of Offensive Security through the rewrite of BackTrack, their previous information security testing Linux distribution based on Knoppix.[8]

Kali Linux was featured in multiple episodes of the TV series Mr. Robot.[9]

Version history

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The first version, 1.0.0 "moto", was released in March 2013.[1]

With version 2019.4 in November 2019, the default user interface was switched from GNOME to Xfce, with a GNOME version still available.[4] However the preinstalled terminal emulator is QTerminal from the LXQt desktop environment, instead of xfce4-terminal.[10]

With version 2020.3 in August 2020, the default shell was switched from Bash to ZSH, with Bash remaining as an option.[11]

With version 2024.4 in December 2024, version 6.11 of the Linux kernel is introduced, official support for 32-bit images is dropped, and DSA keys are deprecated for OpenSSH.[12]

Requirements

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Kali Linux requires:[13]

  • A minimum of 20GB hard disk space for installation, depending on the version. Version 2020.2 requires at least 20GB.
  • A minimum of 128 MB of RAM, 2 GB if opting to use the Xfce4 interface
  • A CD-DVD drive, USB stick or other bootable media.

Supported platforms

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Kali Linux is currently distributed as a 64-bit images for use on hosts based on the x86-64 architecture and as an image for the ARM architecture for use on the Beagle Board computer and Samsung's ARM Chromebook.[14] With the release of 2024.4, 32-bit images based on the i386 architecture were officially dropped.[12][15]

The developers of Kali Linux aim to make Kali Linux available for more ARM devices.[16]

Kali Linux is already available for Asus Chromebook Flip C100P, BeagleBone Black, HP Chromebook, CubieBoard 2, CuBox, CuBox-i, Raspberry Pi, EfikaMX, Odroid U2, Odroid XU, Odroid XU3, Samsung Chromebook, Utilite Pro, Galaxy Note 10.1, and SS808.[17]

With the arrival of Kali NetHunter, Kali Linux is also officially available on Android devices such as the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7, Nexus 9, Nexus 10, OnePlus One, and some Samsung Galaxy models. It has also been made available for more Android devices through unofficial community builds.

Kali Linux is available on Windows 10, on top of Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). The official Kali distribution for Windows can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store.[18]

Comparison with other Linux distributions

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Kali Linux is developed with a focus towards cyber security experts, penetration testers, and white-hat hackers. There are a few other distributions dedicated to penetration testing, such as Parrot OS, BlackArch, and Wifislax. Kali Linux has stood out against these other distributions for cyber security and penetration testing,[19] as well as having made distinct design decisions such as the default user being the superuser before its policy change in 2020.1 and later.[20]

Included Software

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Kali Linux includes a large range of security tools,[21] including tooling for browser exploitation,[22] reverse engineering,[23] and general exploit development.

Kali Purple

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Kali Purple is a flavor of Kali introduced in 2023 specifically designed for defensive security.[24] It features its own suite of tools sorted into categories that correspond to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.[25]

Kali NetHunter

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Kali NetHunter, an official Android-based penetration testing platform, expands Kali’s capabilities, allowing penetration testing from Android devices, providing features like wireless frame injection and MITM attacks."Kali NetHunter Official Page". Kali Linux.

It was the first open source Android penetration testing platform for Nexus devices, created as a joint effort between the Kali community member "BinkyBear" and Offensive Security. It supports Wireless 802.11 frame injection, one-click MANA Evil Access Point setups, HID keyboard (Teensy like attacks), as well as Bad USB MITM attacks.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Official Kali Linux Releases". Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  2. ^ Wilson, Ben (September 18, 2025). "Drop armel support". Gitlab. Kali. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  3. ^ "arm-Kali devices.yml". Gitlab. Kali.
  4. ^ a b c d Nestor, Marius (November 26, 2019). "Kali Linux Ethical Hacking OS Switches to Xfce Desktop, Gets New Look and Feel". softpedia. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  5. ^ *"Kali Linux 1.0 review". LinuxBSDos.com. March 14, 2013. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  6. ^ *Watson, J.A. (May 28, 2014). "Hands-on with Kali Linux 1.0.7". ZDNet.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  7. ^ "Kali's Relationship With Debian". Kali Linux. March 11, 2013. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  8. ^ Leroux, Sylvain (May 3, 2017). "The Kali Linux Review You Must Read Before You Start Using it". itsfoss.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  9. ^ Grauer, Yael (August 26, 2015). "A Peek Inside Mr. Robot's Toolbox". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  10. ^ Tested with kali-linux-2025.3-qemu-amd64.
  11. ^ "Kali Linux 2020.4 Release". www.kali.org. November 18, 2020. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Kali Linux 2024.4 Release (Python 3.12, Goodbye i386, Raspberry Pi Imager & Kali NetHunter)". Kali.org. Kali Linux Blog. December 16, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  13. ^ "Installing Kali Linux". Kali.org. October 22, 2024. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  14. ^ Pauli, Darren (March 13, 2013). "BackTrack successor Kali Linux launched". SC Magazine. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  15. ^ "Installing old i386 images". Kali.org. November 7, 2024. Archived from the original on December 17, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  16. ^ Orin, Andy (December 3, 2014). "Behind the App: The Story of Kali Linux". Lifehacker. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2019. Mati Aharoni: One of our goals with Kali is to provide images of the operating system for all sorts of exotic hardware—mainly ARM based. This includes everything from Raspberry Pi's to tablets, to Android TV devices, with each piece of hardware having some unique property.
  17. ^ "04. Kali Linux on ARM". Archived from the original on November 25, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  18. ^ muts (March 5, 2018). "Kali Linux in the Windows App Store". Kali Linux. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  19. ^ Gray, Lerma (February 12, 2021). "11 Best Linux Distros For Hacking And Penetration Testing in 2021 – dev.Count". Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  20. ^ "Kali's Default Credentials | Kali Linux Documentation". Kali Linux. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  21. ^ "All Kali Tools". Kali Linux. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  22. ^ "BeEF - The Browser Exploitation Framework Project". beefproject.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  23. ^ Reverse Engineer's Toolkit, Mente Binária, September 28, 2023, archived from the original on October 4, 2023, retrieved September 29, 2023
  24. ^ Abrams, Lawrence (March 13, 2023). "Kali Linux 2023.1 introduces 'Purple' distro for defensive security". BleepingComputer. Archived from the original on December 14, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  25. ^ codelabs (March 14, 2023). "What is Kali Purple and How Is It Used? - TCM Security". TCM Security. Archived from the original on December 14, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  26. ^ "Get Kali: NetHunter Pro". Kali Linux. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
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