Kali Linux 2023.1

Kali Linux is an open source Debian-based Linux distribution aimed at advanced Penetration Testing and Security Auditing. Kali Linux was released on the 13th March 2013 as a complete, top-to-bottom rebuild of BackTrack Linux, adhering completely to Debian development standards. Kali is a more mature, secure, and enterprise-ready version of BackTrack Linux.

Kali Linux is developed, funded and maintained by Offensive Security Ltd. (Mati Aharoni, Devon Kearns and Raphaël Hertzog are the core developers), a provider of world-class information security training and penetration testing services. In addition to Kali Linux, Offensive Security also maintains the Exploit Database and the free online course, Metasploit Unleashed.

Kali is preinstalled with more than 600 tools which are geared towards various information security tasks, such as Penetration Testing, Security research, Computer Forensics and Reverse Engineering. Among them, you can find: Armitage (a graphical cyberattack management tool), nmap (a port scanner), Wireshark (a packet analyzer), John the Ripper password cracker, Aircrack-ng (a software suite for penetration-testing wireless LANs), Burp suite and OWASP ZAP web application security scanners.

Kali Linux can run natively when installed on a computer’s hard disk, can be booted from a live CD or live USB, or it can run within a virtual machine. It is a supported platform of the Metasploit Project’s Metasploit Framework, a tool for developing and executing security exploits The logo of Kali Linux appears on the background in the TV series Mr. Robot (2015) in episode 5 of season one.