The first release of the decade is now available for download!
A brief list of new features:
- Users are no longer root by default
- Kali Single Installer
- Kali NetHunter is now available without root
- Improved theme!
- New tools
Goodbye, root!
Throughout Kali's history (and its predecessors BackTrack, WHAX, and Whoppix), the default credentials have been root/toor. Starting with Kali 2020.1, we no longer use root for the default user; it is now a regular unprivileged user.
For more information about this change, please read our previous blog post. This is undoubtedly a significant change, and if you notice any issues related to this change, please report them to us on the bug tracker.
Instead of root/toor, please now use kali/kali.
Kali as your primary OS
So, considering the changes, should you use Kali as your primary OS? It’s up to you. There was nothing preventing you from doing so before, but we do not recommend it. Why? Because we cannot test this use case and do not want anyone coming back with bug reports related to using Kali for unintended purposes.
If you are brave enough to try Kali as your default OS, you can switch from the 'rolling' branch to 'kali-last-snapshot', which will provide more stability.
Kali Single Installer
We carefully studied how people use Kali, what images are downloaded, how they are used, and so on. With this information in hand, we decided to completely restructure and simplify the images we release. In the future, we will have an installer image, a live image, and a netinstall image.
These changes should simplify the choice of the appropriate image to download, while increasing installation flexibility and reducing the size required for download.
Description of all images
Kali single
- Recommended for most users who want to install Kali.
- Does not require a network connection (offline installation).
- Ability to choose the desktop environment during installation (previously each DE had a separate image: XFCE, GNOME, KDE).
- Ability to select the desired tools during installation.
- Cannot be used as a live distribution; it is just an installer.
- File name: kali-linux-2020.1-installer-.iso
Kali network
- Weighs the least
- Requires an active network connection for installation
- During installation, it will download packages
- There is an option to choose the DE and tools for installation
- Cannot be used as a live distribution; it is just an installer
- File name: kali-linux-2020.1-installer-netinst-.iso
This is a very small image containing only the packages necessary for installation, but it behaves exactly like the 'Kali Single' image, allowing you to install everything Kali offers, provided you have an active network connection.
Kali Live
- Its purpose is to allow you to run Kali without installation.
- However, it also contains an installer that behaves like the 'Kali Network' image described above.
'Kali Live' has not been forgotten. The 'Kali Live' image allows you to try Kali without installing it and is perfect for running from a USB drive. You can install Kali from this image, but you will need a network connection (which is why we recommend the offline installation image for most users).
Additionally, you can create your own image, for example, if you want to use a different desktop environment instead of our standard Xfce. It's not as difficult as it seems!
Images for ARM
You will likely notice some minor changes in the ARM images starting with our 2020.1 release; the number of images available for download has decreased due to workforce and hardware limitations, and some images will not be released without community help.
Build scripts are still being updated, so if an image for the machine you are using does not exist, you will need to create it by running the build script on a machine running Kali.
ARM images for 2020.1 will still work with root by default.
There is unfortunate news; the image for Pinebook Pro is not included in the 2020.1 release. We are still working on adding it, and once it is ready, we will publish it.
NetHunter images
Our mobile pentesting platform, Kali NetHunter, has also undergone some improvements. You no longer need to root your phone to run Kali NetHunter, but there will be some limitations.
Kali NetHunter is currently available in the following three versions:
- NetHunter — requires a rooted device with a custom recovery and a patched kernel. It has no limitations. Images for specific devices are available. here.
- **NetHunter Light** - requires a rooted device with a custom recovery but does not require a patched kernel. It has minor limitations, such as the lack of Wi-Fi injections and HID support. Images for specific devices are available. here.
- NetHunter Rootless — can be installed on all standard non-rooted devices using Termux. There are various limitations, such as the absence of db support in Metasploit. Installation instructions are available. here.
Page the NetHunter documentation contains a more detailed comparison.
Each version of NetHunter comes with both a new unprivileged user named "kali" and the root user. KeX now supports multiple sessions, so you can choose to pentest in one session and generate reports in another.
Please note that due to the specific workings of Samsung Galaxy devices, a user without root permissions cannot use sudo and must instead use su -c.
One feature of the new "NetHunter Rootless" edition is that non-root users by default have nearly full privileges in chroot due to the workings of proot containers.
New themes and Kali-Undercover
Not translated: Since there are mainly images, I advise checking out the news page and looking at them. By the way, people appreciated the Windows 10 lookalike, so it will continue to develop.
New packages
Kali Linux is a rolling release distribution, so updates become available immediately, and there is no need to wait for the next release.
The following packages have been added:
- cloud-enum
- emailharvester
- phpggc
- sherlock
- splinter
We also have several new wallpapers in kali-community-wallpapers!
End of Python 2
Recall that Python 2 has reached its "end of life". January 1, 2020. This means we are removing tools that use Python 2. Why? Because they are no longer supported, they do not receive updates, and need to be replaced. Pentesting is constantly changing and keeping pace with the times. We will do our best to find alternatives that we are actively working on.
Reach out a helping hand
If you want to contribute to Kali, please do! If you have an idea you would like to work on, please pursue it. If you want to help but don’t know where to start, visit our documentation page). If you have a suggestion for a new feature, please describe it at bug tracker.
Note: The bug tracker is for bugs and suggestions. But it's not a place to get help or support, that's what the forums are for.
Download Kali Linux 2020.1
What are you waiting for? Download Kali now!
If you already have Kali installed, remember that you can always perform an upgrade:
kali@kali:~$ cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list
deb http://http.kali.org/kali kali-rolling main non-free contrib
EOF
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo apt update && sudo apt -y full-upgrade
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ [ -f /var/run/reboot-required ] && sudo reboot -f
kali@kali:~$
After this, you should have Kali Linux 2020.1. You can verify this by quickly checking with:
kali@kali:~$ grep VERSION /etc/os-release
VERSION="2020.1"
VERSION_ID="2020.1"
VERSION_CODENAME="kali-rolling"
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ uname -v
#1 SMP Debian 5.4.13-1kali1 (2020-01-20)
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ uname -r
5.4.0-kali3-amd64
kali@kali:~$
Note: The output of uname -r may differ, depending on your architecture.
As always, if you find any bugs in Kali, please report them to our bug tracker. We will never be able to fix what we know is broken.
Source: linux.org.ru
