This Kali release is the first to include the Linux 4.15 kernel, which includes the x86 and x64 fixes for the much-hyped Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities. It also includes much better support for AMD GPUs and support for AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization, which allows for encrypting virtual machine memory such that even the hypervisor can’t access it.
In an earlier post, we covered Package Management in Kali Linux. With the ease of installation that APT provides, we have the choice amongst tens of thousands of packages but the downside is, we have tens of thousands of packages. Finding out what packages are available and finding the one(s) we want can be a daunting task, particularly for newcomers to Linux. In this post, we will cover three utilities that can be used to search through the haystack and help you take advantage of the vast Open-source ecosystem.
No, really…this isn’t clickbait. For the past few weeks, we’ve been working with the Microsoft WSL team to get Kali Linux introduced into the Microsoft App Store as an official WSL distribution and today we’re happy to announce the availability of the “Kali Linux” Windows application. For Windows 10 users, this means you can simply enable WSL, search for Kali in the Windows store, and install it with a single click. This is especially exciting news for penetration testers and security professionals who have limited toolsets due to enterprise compliance standards.
Welcome to our first release of 2018, Kali Linux 2018.1. This fine release contains all updated packages and bug fixes since our 2017.3 release last November. This release wasn’t without its challenges–from the Meltdown and Spectre excitement (patches will be in the 4.15 kernel) to a couple of other nasty bugs, we had our work cut out for us but we prevailed in time to deliver this latest and greatest version for your installation pleasure.
“Whether you’re new to the fight, or a seasoned pro, don’t stop training…”
This statement, like the video that introduced it, has real punch. We did this on purpose to get you fired up, excited about your training, and to kickstart your journey. If it worked, and you’re in the fight, welcome aboard! If you haven’t jumped in for whatever reason, we want to introduce you to the plethora of resources we’ve made available to help you master Kali Linux, the penetration testing distribution.
Update : This post is outdated. For a better way of getting Kali Linux on Windows 10, install Kali Linux from the App store.
We’re always on the prowl for novel environments to run Kali on, and with the introduction of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) in Windows 10, new and exciting possibilities have surfaced. After all, if the WSL can support Ubuntu, it shouldn’t be too hard to incorporate another Debian-like distribution, right? This is especially true with the Windows Subsystem for Linux Distribution Switcher utility.
We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of Kali Linux 2017.3, which includes all patches, fixes, updates, and improvements since our last release. In this release, the kernel has been updated to 4.13.10 and it includes some notable improvements:
CIFS now uses SMB 3.0 by default EXT4 directories can now contain 2 billion entries instead of the old 10 million limit TLS support is now built into the kernel itself In addition to the new kernel and all of the updates and fixes we pull from Debian, we have also updated our packages for Reaver, PixieWPS, Burp Suite, Cuckoo, The Social Engineering Toolkit, and more. Take a look at the Kali Changelog to see what else has been updated in this release, or read on to see what else is new.
Users often request the addition of vulnerability scanners to Kali, most notably the ones that begin with “N”, but due to licensing constraints, we do not include them in the distribution. Fortunately, Kali includes the very capable OpenVAS, which is free and Open-source. Although we briefly covered OpenVAS in the past, we decided to devote a more thorough post to its setup and how to use it more effectively.
WPA2 Key Reinstallation AttaCK or KRACK attack Recently, Mathy Vanhoef of imec-DistriNet, KU Leuven, discovered a serious weakness in WPA2 known as the Key Reinstallation AttaCK (or KRACK) attack. Their overview, Key Reinstallation Attacks: Breaking WPA2 by forcing nonce reuse, and research paper (Key Reinstallation Attacks: Forcing Nonce Reuse in WPA2, co-authored by Frank Piessens) have created quite a stir in our industry because the press touts that it “breaks Wi-Fi”.
The Advanced Package Tool (APT) is how programs, libraries, documentation, and even the kernel itself are installed and managed on Kali and other Debian-based derivatives. APT often works so well that many users don’t pay any particular attention to it other than to perhaps search for and install programs and (hopefully) update their system regularly.