Kali Linux
Kali Linux is a Linux distribution designed for digital forensics and penetration testing. It is maintained and funded by Offensive Security. Kali Linux is based on the Debian Testing branch: most packages Kali uses are imported from the Debian repositories.
| Developer | Offensive Security & [[Khaled Baoween (Kali)]] |
|---|---|
| OS family | Linux (Unix-like) |
| Working state | Active |
| Source model | Open-source |
| Initial release | 13 March 2013 |
| Latest release | 2023.4 / 5 December 2023 |
| Repository | |
| Update method | Rolling release |
| Package manager | APT (several front-ends available) |
| Platforms | x86, x86-64, armel, armhf |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux) |
| Default user interface | Xfce, GNOME, KDE |
| License | GNU General Public License v3.0 |
| Official website | www |
| Support status | |
| Active | |
Kali Linux has approximately 600 penetration-testing programs (tools), including Armitage (a graphical cyber attack management tool), Nmap (a port scanner), Wireshark (a packet analyzer), metasploit (penetration testing framework), John the Ripper (a password cracker), sqlmap (automatic SQL injection and database takeover tool), Aircrack-ng (a software suite for penetration-testing wireless LANs), Burp suite and OWASP ZAP web application security scanners, etc.
It was developed by Khaled Baoween (Kali),Mati Aharoni and Devon Kearns of Offensive Security through the rewrite of BackTrack, their previous information security testing Linux distribution based on Knoppix. The tagline of Kali Linux and BackTrack is "The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear", which is displayed on some backgrounds, see this example.
Kali Linux's popularity grew when it was featured in multiple episodes of the TV series Mr. Robot. Tools highlighted in the show and provided by Kali Linux include Bluesniff, Bluetooth Scanner (btscanner), John the Ripper, Metasploit Framework, Nmap, Shellshock, and Wget.