lsb_release command that shows what version of Kali is installed

How to check Kali Linux version

The objective of this guide is to show how to check what version of Kali Linux a system is running. This includes information such as the version number and what CPU architecture the system uses (i.e. 32 or 64 bit).

Kali is a rolling release, meaning that there are no full system upgrades. Rather, users just need to update all the packages on their system in order to upgrade to the latest version of Kali. With this in mind, it’s not as much of a concern to know if your system has fallen out of date or not, as updating it can be done entirely with apt package manager. We’ll show you how below.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to check Kali Linux version

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KDE Plasma desktop environment on Kali Linux

How to install KDE dekstop on Kali Linux

Most Linux distributions have a “main” desktop environment they use – the one that comes installed by default in the distro’s most popular download. For Kali Linux, it’s Xfce.

If you prefer KDE Plasma over Xfce or are just looking for a change of scenery, it’s quite simple to switch desktop environments on Kali. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to install the KDE desktop environment on Kali Linux.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to install KDE Plasma dekstop on Kali Linux

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Installation of VirtualBox Guest Additions on Kali Linux

How to install VirtualBox guest additions on Kali Linux

If you’re running Kali Linux inside a VirtualBox virtual machine, installing the Guest Additions software will help you get the most out of the system. VirtualBox Guest Additions will give the machine more capabilities, such as a shared clipboard with the host system, drag and drop file transfer, and automatic window resizing.

This makes copying data to and from a host system much more convenient. It also changes the VM’s resolution automatically when its window is resized, so you don’t need to change it manually. Guest Additions will work with just about any Linux distribution, but instructions can differ because of dependencies and package managers. Normally, Kali will automatically detect what platform the operating system has been installed on, and will include Guest Additions (if applicable) by default. If yours isn’t working or you just need to know how to use the features, we’ve got you covered in this guide.

In this guide, we’ll be going over the step by step instructions to get VirtualBox Guest Additions installed on Kali Linux. With these instructions, it doesn’t matter what host system you’re using, as long as the virtual machine is running Kali. This guide assumes that you’ve already installed Kali in the VM correctly.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to install VirtualBox Guest Addition on Kali Linux

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traceroute on Kali Linux

How to use traceroute on Kali Linux

When performing digital reconnaissance or penetrating testing, it’s important to fingerprint a network by understanding what servers or devices sit between your system and a target. For example, security professionals can’t go straight to attacking a web server without first taking the time to see if there’s a firewall in front of it.

This is where the traceroute utility comes in. It can send a packet from your system to the target machine, and list out its entire route for the journey there. This will reveal how many devices your network data is passing through, as well as the IP address of each device.

Kali Linux has another similar reconnaissance utility called mtr, which mostly functions the same as traceroute. In this guide, we’ll see how to use traceroute and mtr, along with their various command options, on Kali.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to use traceroute
  • How to use mtr

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Cracking a password protected zip file on Kali Linux

How to crack zip password on Kali Linux

The objective of this guide is to show how to crack a password for a zip file on Kali Linux.

By default, Kali includes the tools to crack passwords for these compressed archives, namely the fcrackzip utility, John the Ripper and a word list. Follow along with us in the step by step instructions below as we show two different methods for cracking the password of a zip file.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • What tools are used to crack password protected zip files?
  • How to crack zip password with John the Ripper
  • How to crack zip password with fcrackzip
Cracking a password protected zip file on Kali Linux

Cracking a password protected zip file on Kali Linux

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Default user and password for Kali Linux

Kali Linux Default Password

The objective of this guide is to show the default username and password for Kali Linux. The guide will be applicable for persistent installations, as well as the live CD image and Kali virtual machine downloads in VirtualBox or VMware.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • Default username and password for Kali
  • How to execute Linux commands with administrative root privileges
  • How to change to root shell
  • How to change user and root passwords
Default user and password for Kali Linux

Default user and password for Kali Linux

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Using WPScan on Kali Linux

Use WPScan to scan WordPress for vulnerabilities on Kali

Vulnerabilities in WordPress can be uncovered by the WPScan utility, which comes installed by default in Kali Linux. It’s also a great tool for gathering general reconnaissance information about a website that’s running WordPress.

Owners of WordPress sites would be wise to try running WPScan against their site, as it may reveal security issues that need patched. It can also reveal more general web server issues, such as directory listings that haven’t been turned off inside Apache or NGINX.

WPScan itself is not a tool that can be used maliciously while performing simple scans against a site, unless you consider the extra traffic itself to be malicious. But the information it reveals about a site can be leveraged by attackers to launch an attack. WPScan can also try username and password combinations to try and gain access to a WordPress site. For this reason, it’s advised that you only run WPScan against a site that you own or have permission to scan.

In this guide, we’ll see how to use WPScan and its various command line options on Kali Linux. Try out some of the examples below to test your own WordPress installation for security vulnerabilities.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to use WPScan
  • How to scan for vulnerabilities with API token

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Searching for packages to install on Kali Linux

How to search for extra hacking tools on Kali

Kali Linux already comes with a lot of ethical hacking and penetration tools out of the box. There are even more tools available from package repositories, but sifting through hundreds of tools and finding the ones you want to install can be challenging.

We aim to make the task easier in this guide, by showing you how to search for more software and install the tools on your system. If Kali doesn’t include some of your favorite tools by default, or you just want to browse the selection of software to see what else might be available, the steps below will help you find useful tools to install.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to search for packages with apt-cache
  • How to search for packages with aptitude
  • GUI software installers
  • How to search for Kali packages online
Searching for packages to install on Kali Linux

Searching for packages to install on Kali Linux

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Running Kali Linux inside a VMware virtual machine

How to install Kali Linux in VMware

Kali Linux is a powerful Linux distro for penetration testing and ethical hacking. It’s not meant as an everyday operating system, so most Kali users will utilize the distro by running it temporarily from a USB drive, or opt for a persistent installation in a virtual machine.

Installing Kali in VMware gives you easy access to the hundreds of security and hacking tools that are included with Kali. Any time you need to do some packet sniffing, password cracking, etc. you can simply fire up the virtual machine and get to work. It’s also a great way to test out hacking applications without having to install software on your host system.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to install Kali Linux in a VMware virtual machine. You’ll be able to follow along with this guide regardless of your host operating system, so both Linux and Windows users will find these step by step instructions to be applicable.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to configure VMware to host Kali Linux
  • How to create a Kali Linux virtual machine
Running Kali Linux inside a VMware virtual machine

Running Kali Linux inside a VMware virtual machine

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Parrot OS

Kali Linux vs Parrot

Kali Linux and Parrot OS are two Linux distributions with a huge focus on cybersecurity, privacy, and penetration testing.

Both distributions are based on Debian Linux, naturally making them pretty similar. This fact, along with a big overlap in target audience, causes a lot of newcomers to question the difference between the two distributions.

In this guide, we’ll be comparing the two distributions across a few key areas and giving a brief review of both distros. Read on to learn more about Kali Linux and Parrot OS and how they compare. By the end of this article, you’ll be armed with enough information to choose the best distro for your needs.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • Kali Linux and Parrot OS background information
  • Kali Linux and Parrot OS similarities and differences
  • Which distro should I use, Kali Linux or Parrot OS?

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Software Center and Synaptic running on Kali Linux

GUI software installers for Kali Linux

Out of the box, the only option for installing software on Kali Linux is to use the APT package manager from the command line, or download software directly from a developer’s website.

This minimal approach can be appreciated, but sometimes it’s just more convenient to use a GUI software mananger application to install programs. In this guide, we’ll see how to install two different GUI software managers on Kali Linux, which can then be used to search for other software to install.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to install Software Center on Kali
  • How to install Synaptic Package Manager on Kali
  • How to use Software Center or Synaptic to install software
Software Center and Synaptic running on Kali Linux

Software Center and Synaptic running on Kali Linux

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