Linuxlandit & The Conqueror Penguin

Canaima GNU/Linux is a Venezuelan free and open-source Linux distribution, based on Debian

2026-08-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

Canaima GNU/Linux is a Venezuelan free and open-source Linux distribution, based on Debian, created to promote the use of free technologies in government, education, and communities. It is both a technical project and a political initiative, designed to strengthen technological sovereignty in Venezuela.

🌐 Overview of Canaima GNU/Linux

Origin & Purpose
- Launched in 2007 as part of Venezuela’s government initiative to prioritize free and open-source software (Decree 3.390).
- Developed collaboratively by CNTI (Centro Nacional de Tecnologías de Información), state-owned companies, universities, and the Venezuelan free software community.
- Intended to replace proprietary systems in public administration and schools.
Technical Base
- Based on Debian GNU/Linux (Testing branch).
- Uses the Linux kernel with GNU userland.
- Package management via APT/dpkg.
- Supports IA-32 and x86-64 architectures.
User Experience
- Offers multiple desktop environments: GNOME, KDE Plasma, Xfce, Cinnamon, and others.
- Comes with a custom control panel and software center for easier management.
- Available in Venezuelan Spanish, with localized tools and educational applications.

📊 Key Features

Feature	Canaima GNU/Linux
Initial Release	2007
Latest Release	8.0 “Kavanayén” (October 2024)
Base System	Debian GNU/Linux (Testing)
License	Free software (mainly GPL)
Target Audience	Government, education, general users
Languages	Venezuelan Spanish (primary)
Desktop Environments	GNOME, KDE Plasma, Xfce, Cinnamon, etc.
Update Method	APT with graphical front-ends

Sources:

⚖️ Importance & Impact

Government Adoption: Widely deployed in Venezuelan public institutions, schools, and community centers.
Educational Role: Distributed with educational content and tools for students.
Technological Sovereignty: Seen as a strategic move to reduce dependency on foreign proprietary software.
Community Involvement: Development is open, with contributions from local free software communities.

👉 In short, Canaima is more than just a Linux distro—it’s a national project aimed at democratizing technology access and fostering independence from proprietary ecosystems.

The best Linux distributions based on ArchLinux

2026-08-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

Choosing an Arch-based distribution is usually about finding the right balance between the "purity" of Arch and the convenience of a pre-configured system. Because Arch is a rolling release, all these distros provide the latest software and access to the Arch User Repository (AUR).

Here are the best Arch Linux-based distributions for 2025, categorized by user needs:

1. EndeavourOS: The "Purist's" Choice

If you want an experience that is 95% Arch but don't want to spend an hour in a command-line installer, this is the top pick.

Best For: Users who want a clean, minimal system without "bloat."
Key Feature: Uses the Calamares GUI installer, allowing you to pick your desktop environment (GNOME, KDE, Xfce, Sway, etc.) during setup.
Why choose it: It provides a very small set of custom tools (like a "Welcome" app for system maintenance) but otherwise stays completely out of your way.

2. Manjaro: The "User-Friendly" Giant

Manjaro is the most popular Arch-based distro because it treats Arch more like a traditional OS (like Ubuntu or Fedora).

Best For: Beginners or those who want a "plug and play" Arch experience.
Key Feature: Pamac, a highly polished graphical software manager that makes installing apps and managing the AUR as easy as an App Store.
Why choose it: It has its own repositories that lag about two weeks behind Arch. This extra testing time makes it slightly more stable for users who don't want to check news before every update.

3. Garuda Linux: The Gamer’s Powerhouse

Garuda is "Arch with the volume turned up to 11." It is visually striking and performance-tuned right out of the box.

Best For: Gamers and users who love "flashy" aesthetics (Neon-themed KDE Dr460nized).
Key Feature: Automatic BTRFS snapshots. If an update breaks your system, you can literally "undo" it from the boot menu.
Why choose it: It uses the Zen Kernel for better responsiveness and includes a "Garuda Gamer" tool to install everything from Steam to specialized wine-runners in one click.

4. CachyOS: The Speed Demon

CachyOS is a rising star focused on raw hardware optimization.

Best For: Performance enthusiasts and users with modern hardware.
Key Feature: It compiles packages specifically for newer CPU architectures ($x86\_64-v3$ and $v4$), which can result in noticeable speed gains.
Why choose it: It offers various custom kernels and a highly optimized browser (Cachy Browser) to squeeze every bit of power out of your machine.

5. Archcraft: The Aesthetic Minimalist

Archcraft is focused on "Window Managers" rather than heavy Desktop Environments.

Best For: Users who want a beautiful, ultra-lightweight system.
Key Feature: Stunning pre-configured "dotfiles" for Openbox and bspwm.
Why choose it: It is incredibly fast and uses very little RAM, making it perfect for older laptops or users who want a "pro" look without hours of manual configuration.

Distro
Level
Best Feature
Aesthetic

EndeavourOS
Intermediate
Near-pure Arch
Minimal / Vanilla

Manjaro
Beginner
Pamac GUI & Stability
Polished / Professional

Garuda
Intermediate
BTRFS Snapshots
Neon / Cyberpunk

CachyOS
Advanced
CPU Optimizations
Modern / Fast

Archcraft
Intermediate
Lightweight Window Managers
Artistic / Clean

The best Linux distributions based on Debian

2026-07-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

Debian is often called the "Universal Operating System" because it serves as the rock-solid foundation for hundreds of other distributions. When choosing a Debian-based distro, you are usually looking for that same stability but with more "out-of-the-box" polish or specialized tools.

Here are the best Debian-based Linux distributions in 2025, categorized by their primary strengths.

1. The Best for Most Users (Beginner-Friendly)

These distributions take the stability of Debian and add a user-friendly interface, driver managers, and curated app stores.

Ubuntu: The most popular choice. It is known for its massive community support and ease of use. If you want a system where every piece of hardware "just works" and every software guide applies to you, this is it.
Linux Mint (LMDE): While the main Mint is based on Ubuntu, LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) is based directly on Debian. It provides the classic, Windows-like Cinnamon desktop with a focus on speed and avoiding Ubuntu's "Snap" packages.
Zorin OS: Designed specifically for people switching from Windows or macOS. It features a "Layout Switcher" that can make your desktop look and feel exactly like the OS you just left.

2. The Best for Performance & Gaming

Gaming on Linux has improved drastically, and these Debian-based distros lead the pack by pre-configuring drivers and performance tweaks.

Pop!_OS: Developed by System76, this is widely considered the best for gaming and creative work. It offers a dedicated version with NVIDIA drivers pre-installed and features a built-in "Auto-Tiling" window manager that boosts productivity.
MX Linux: Currently one of the most popular distros on DistroWatch. It’s a "mid-weight" OS—not as heavy as Ubuntu but more feature-rich than a bare-bones system. It is famous for its MX Tools, which make complex system tasks easy for beginners.

3. The Best for Specialized Tasks

Debian’s stability makes it the perfect base for professional-grade tools.

Kali Linux: The industry standard for penetration testing and ethical hacking. It comes pre-loaded with hundreds of security tools.

Note: Kali is not recommended for daily use (like browsing or office work) because it is configured for security audits, not general productivity.
Raspberry Pi OS: The official OS for Raspberry Pi devices. It is highly optimized for ARM processors and is the best choice for DIY projects or learning electronics.
Parrot OS: Similar to Kali but with a heavier focus on privacy and development. It’s a bit more lightweight and offers a "Home" edition that is actually quite good for daily use.

The best Linux distributions

2026-07-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

Choosing the "best" Linux distribution depends entirely on your goals—whether you are looking for a Windows alternative, a powerhouse for development, or a dedicated gaming machine.

As of late 2025, here are the top recommendations categorized by user needs:

1. Best for Beginners & Windows Switchers

These distributions are designed to "just work" out of the box with intuitive interfaces and massive community support.

Linux Mint (Cinnamon Edition): Often cited as the best alternative for Windows users. It features a familiar taskbar/start menu layout, is incredibly stable, and avoids the controversial "Snap" packages found in Ubuntu.
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS: The "gold standard" for Linux. If you ever run into a problem, someone has already solved it on an Ubuntu forum. It has the best hardware support and a vast software library.
Zorin OS: A highly polished, aesthetic distro. It includes a "Look Changer" that can make your desktop feel like Windows 11, macOS, or classic GNOME with a single click.

2. Best for Gaming

With the rise of the Steam Deck, Linux gaming has reached its golden age. These distros come pre-configured with drivers and optimizations.

Bazzite: A rising star in 2025. It is a "SteamOS clone" based on Fedora, designed to turn your PC (or handheld like a ROG Ally) into a console-like experience with HDR support and pre-installed gaming tools.
Nobara Project: Created by "GloriousEggroll" (a key developer for Proton), this distro is a modified version of Fedora that includes every kernel tweak and driver needed for maximum FPS and gaming compatibility.
Pop!_OS: Developed by System76, it offers a dedicated NVIDIA installer that handles GPU drivers automatically. Its built-in auto-tiling window manager is also great for multi-tasking while streaming.

3. Best for Developers & Power Users

If you want the latest software packages (bleeding-edge) or total control over your system, these are the top picks.

Fedora Workstation: Often the first to implement new technologies (like Wayland or PipeWire). It provides a clean, "vanilla" GNOME experience and is the upstream for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).
Arch Linux: For those who want to build their OS from the ground up. It follows a rolling release model, meaning you never "reinstall"—you just update forever. The Arch Wiki is arguably the best documentation in the Linux world.
NixOS: Popular among DevOps and advanced engineers. It uses a declarative configuration file to define the entire system state, making it easy to replicate your exact setup on multiple machines.

4. Specialized Use Cases

Lightweight (Old PCs): MX Linux or Puppy Linux. These can run on hardware that Windows 10/11 would struggle to boot.
Privacy & Security: Tails (runs entirely from RAM for anonymity) or Kali Linux (specifically for penetration testing and ethical hacking).
Visual Beauty: elementary OS. It features a custom "Pantheon" desktop that is heavily inspired by the clean, minimalist aesthetic of macOS.

Quick Comparison Table

Use Case
Recommended Distro
Base System
Key Strength

Beginners
Linux Mint
Ubuntu/Debian
Familiarity & Stability

Gamers
Bazzite / Nobara
Fedora
Pre-installed drivers/tweaks

Developers
Fedora
Independent
Latest tech & packages

Customization
Arch Linux
Independent
Full control & Rolling release

Old Hardware
MX Linux
Debian
Extremely resource-efficient

The best multimedia Linux distributions

2026-07-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

The best multimedia-focused Linux distributions are Ubuntu Studio, Fedora Design Suite, AV Linux, Modicia O.S., and io GNU/Linux. These distros are tailored for audio, video, and graphic production, making them ideal for creative professionals.

Top Multimedia Linux Distros

Here’s a breakdown of the most notable options:

1. Ubuntu Studio

Based on Ubuntu, with a focus on multimedia creation.
Comes preloaded with tools for audio production (Ardour, Audacity), video editing (Kdenlive, Blender), and graphic design (GIMP, Inkscape).
Strong community support and regular updates.
Best for users who want a stable, beginner-friendly multimedia environment.

2. Fedora Design Suite

Built on Fedora, tailored for designers and artists.
Includes open-source creative tools like Krita, Scribus, and Blender.
Strong integration with Fedora’s cutting-edge updates.
Ideal for graphic designers and illustrators.

3. AV Linux

A Debian-based distro optimized for audio and video production.
Known for low-latency kernel, making it excellent for professional audio recording.
Includes JACK audio server, Ardour, and other studio-grade tools.
Perfect for musicians, sound engineers, and video editors.

4. Modicia O.S.

User-friendly multimedia distro with a polished interface.
Preloaded with professional-grade creative software.
Focuses on accessibility and ease of use for non-technical users.
Great for those who want a ready-to-use multimedia workstation.

5. io GNU/Linux

Specialized for multimedia production, especially audio.
Lightweight and performance-oriented.
Comes with a curated set of creative tools.
Best for users who want a streamlined, efficient multimedia system.

Media Center Distros (for Home Theater)

If your goal is media playback and streaming rather than production, consider:

Kodi (formerly XBMC) – versatile media center software available on Linux.
LinHES – designed for home theater PCs, optimized for video/audio playback.

✅ Recommendation

For creators: Ubuntu Studio or AV Linux are the most versatile and professional.
For designers: Fedora Design Suite is excellent.
For casual multimedia use: Modicia O.S. offers simplicity.
For home theater setups: Kodi-based distros are the best choice.

Would you like me to compare these distros in a feature table (software included, performance, ease of use) so you can quickly see which one fits your needs best?

Kali Linux Guide; Virtualization, Installing VirtualBox on Kali (Host)

2026-07-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

You can install VirtualBox on Kali Linux, allowing you to use virtual machines (VMs) inside of Kali Linux. However if you are wanting to install Kali Linux as a VM, you want our Kali Linux Guest VirtualBoxguide.

VMs are great. There are many upsides with using them. One of the being, able to run multiple Operating Systems (OSs) at the same time. You can have your host machine “untouched”, and then only interact with the guest VMs. Another is when something is going right, take a snapshot. When something goes wrong, revert back.

VirtualBox is free and open source. There are a few other software such as QEMU, KVM/Xen with virt-manager. Then there is also VMware Workstation & Fusion, which is a commercial software (there is VMware Player which is free but it is limited in features).

VirtualBox is officially available in kali-rolling repositories.

There are two ways to install virtualbox:

From Kali repositories.
From Oracle repository.

Preparation

Before trying to install VirtualBox, please make sure your version of Kali Linux is up-to-date, our apt sources are properly set and if required, reboot the machine:

kali@kali:~$ sudo apt update
[...]
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo apt full-upgrade -y
[...]
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ [ -f /var/run/reboot-required ] && sudo reboot -f
kali@kali:~$

1. From Kali Linux repositories

Install virtualbox and linux-headers-generic:

kali@kali:~$ sudo apt update
[...]
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo apt install virtualbox linux-headers-generic
[...]
kali@kali:~$

The extension pack can be installed through:

kali@kali:~$ sudo apt install virtualbox-ext-pack
[...]
kali@kali:~$

2. From Oracle Virtualbox third-party repository

Download

The first thing we are going to do is import VirtualBox’s repository key:

kali@kali:~$ curl -fsSL https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox_2016.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/oracle_vbox_2016.gpg
[...]
kali@kali:~$ curl -fsSL https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/oracle_vbox.gpg
[...]
kali@kali:~$

We then move onto adding VirtualBox’s repository. We add this to a separate file, so it does not interfere with Kali Linux’s main repository. We also will be making sure to state where the keyring is at so the files can be properly signed. Our CPU architecture is amd64. You may need to alter the example below if yours is different.

One thing to bear in mind, Kali Linux is based on Debian, so we need to use Debian’s current stable version (even though Kali Linux is a rolling distribution). At the time of writing, its “bullseye”:

kali@kali:~$ echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian bullseye contrib" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list
kali@kali:~$

As we have altered our network repository, we need to re-build the cache:

kali@kali:~$ sudo apt update
[...]
kali@kali:~$

As VirtualBox has various kernel modules (e.g. vboxdrv, vboxnetflt and vboxnetadp), we need to make sure they are kept up-to-date when Kali Linux’s kernel gets updated. This can be achieved using dkms:

kali@kali:~$ sudo apt install dkms
[...]
kali@kali:~$

Setup

Now its time to install VirtualBox itself (along with its Extension Pack to expand VirtualBox’s advanced features) and the Linux headers necessary:

kali@kali:~$ sudo apt install virtualbox virtualbox-ext-pack linux-headers-generic
[...]
kali@kali:~$

When prompted, read and accept the license.

You can now find VirtualBox in the menu or start it via the command line:

kali@kali:~$ virtualbox
kali@kali:~$

If you now wish, you are able to install Kali Linux in a VirtualBox VM (on Kali Linux).

Games, Linux and Blockchain

2026-07-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

Gaming and Linux

The gaming experience on Linux has improved dramatically in recent years, although historically it was a weak point.

Proton and Steam Play: The most crucial tool is Proton, developed by Valve (owners of Steam). Proton is a Wine-based compatibility layer that allows Linux users to run thousands of Windows games without modification. Steam integrates this with Steam Play, making the experience almost as smooth as on Windows.

Graphics APIs:

The development and adoption of the open-source Vulkan graphics API has greatly benefited Linux, providing performance that often rivals or surpasses Microsoft's DirectX.

Hardware and Drivers:

Hardware manufacturers (especially NVIDIA and AMD) have improved the quality and support of their drivers for Linux, which is essential for the performance of modern games.

Handheld Consoles: The success of the Steam Deck (a Valve handheld console running SteamOS, an Arch-based Linux distribution) has further boosted compatibility and game development for the Linux ecosystem.

Linux and Blockchain
Linux is fundamental to the blockchain and cryptocurrency ecosystem.

Server Infrastructure: The vast majority of blockchain nodes, exchange servers, and mining pools run on Linux-based servers (such as Ubuntu or CentOS). This is due to their stability, security, open-source nature (which allows for auditing and customization), and resource efficiency.

Development: Developers often prefer Linux environments (or macOS, which is similar in its UNIX base) for writing, compiling, and deploying smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps).

Mining Rigs: Many mining rigs use customized lightweight Linux distributions to optimize graphics card (GPU) management and energy efficiency.

Gaming and Blockchain (Web3 Gaming)
This is the newest and fastest-growing intersection, known as Web3 Gaming, Play-to-Earn (P2E), or NFT gaming.

Asset Ownership: Blockchain allows players to have verifiable ownership of their in-game assets (skins, weapons, virtual land) through Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). This means that items have value outside the game and can be bought, sold, or traded on secondary markets.

Real Economy (P2E): The "Play-to-Earn" model allows players to earn rewards with real economic value, often in the form of cryptocurrencies or NFTs, simply by playing or contributing to the game's ecosystem.

Decentralization: In the future, the Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) could allow the player community to have a say in the direction and development of the game, rather than relying solely on a central company.

Triple Connection Summary
Linux Facilitates Gaming: With Proton/Steam, gaming on Linux is viable and growing.

Linux Powers Blockchain: It is the standard operating system for node infrastructure and dApp development.

Blockchain transforms gaming: It creates new asset ownership economies (NFTs) and rewards players (P2E).

Kali Linux Guide; Virtualization, Installing VMware on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) Macs (Host)

2026-06-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

You need to be running at least VMware Fusion 13.x.x.

Due to a limitation of the VMware updater software, if you are on an earlier version, it will report that there are no updates available. You need to go to VMware’s website and download and install manually.

We will first go to Get Fusion and select whether we would like to buy the Pro version, or start free.

After creating an account/registering with VMware this will allow you to request a personal use license for VMware Fusion.

Version 13.x.x Download.

Then install by double clicking.

Next download the “installer Image” from (https://www.kali.org/get-kali/#kali-installer-images). Just make sure to choose the Apple Silicon (ARM64) Image.

Take note of the directory where the .iso is saved, as we will need it for installing in VMware Fusion.

After installing VMware Fusion 13, and opening the application for the first time, it forces the user to create a new machine. Once you’ve created your machine, if you would like to create another you will need to select “create new machine” from the options.

Open the directory in which the .iso was saved after downloading. Drag the freshly downloaded .iso to the window and begin the installation (Debian 12.x 64-bit Arm). We can also just simply click on “install from disk or image”, or “use another disc, or disc image” option from the VMware Fusion application window.

source

Why does CachyOS hold the top spot in the DistroWatch ranking?

2026-06-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

CachyOS holds the top spot on DistroWatch primarily due to its immense popularity, driven by gaming and the Arch Linux trend. Its focus on gaming performance, inclusion of proprietary Nvidia drivers by default, and offering an optimized version for Steam Deck have attracted a large number of users who click on its news, boosting its position in the visit rankings.

Focus on gaming: CachyOS is optimized for gaming performance. It includes packages like Proton and Wine, and is compatible with Steam Deck, making it very attractive to gamers.

Arch Linux base: It is built on Arch Linux, allowing it to inherit its simplicity, lightweight nature, and quick access to recent software, but with a more user-friendly and pre-configured experience.

Arch Linux's growing popularity: Linux's increasing market share in the gaming sector (driven by Steam's popularity) has boosted interest in Arch-based distributions. Appeal due to performance and ease of use: It's marketed as a "turbo" version of Arch that doesn't require complicated initial setup, attracting users seeking performance without the complexity of pure Arch Linux.

What is CachyOS?

In the competitive world of Linux distributions, CachyOS shines for its focus on extreme performance . Based on

Kali Linux Guide; Virtualization, Installing VMware on Kali (Host)

2026-06-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

You can install VMware workstation or player on Kali Linux, allowing you to use Virtual Machines (VMs) inside of Kali Linux. However if you wish to use Kali Linux as a virtual machine, you will want our Kali Linux Guest VMwareguide.

VMs are great, as there are many reasons why to use them. One of the being, able to run multiple Operating Systems at the same time. You can have your host machine “untouched”, and then only interact with the guest VMs. Another is when something is going right, take a snapshot. When something goes wrong, revert back.

VMware Workstation & Fusion is a commercial software (there is VMware Player which is free but it is limited in features). There are various free or open source solution (such as VirtualBox, QEMU, KVM/Xen with virt-manager).

Preparation

Before trying to install VMware, please make sure your version of Kali Linux is up-to-date, and if required, reboot the machine:

kali@kali:~$ sudo apt update
[...]
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo apt full-upgrade -y
[...]
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ [ -f /var/run/reboot-required ] && sudo reboot -f
kali@kali:~$

Download

To start with, you will need to download VMware. You can do this by going to VMware’s download page. At the time of writing, the latest version is 15.5.1-15018445.

Alternatively, you can do the following command line method:

kali@kali:~$ sudo apt install -y curl
[...]
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ curl -A "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:109.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/115.0" \
  -o Downloads/vmware.bundle \
  -L https://www.vmware.com/go/getworkstation-linux
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ file Downloads/vmware.bundle
Downloads/vmware.bundle: a bash script executable (binary data)
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ ls -lah Downloads/vmware.bundle
-rw-r--r-- 1 kali kali 514M Oct  3 02:13 Downloads/vmware.bundle
kali@kali:~$

When everything is up-to-date, and ready to go, make sure the file is executable and then call it:

kali@kali:~$ chmod +x ~/Downloads/vmware.bundle
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo ~/Downloads/vmware.bundle
Extracting VMware Installer...done.
Installing VMware Workstation 17.0.2
    Configuring...
[######################################################################] 100%
Installation was successful.
kali@kali:~$

We can see we have installed VMware Workstation 17.0.2. The version number may be needed later on.

After the installer is installed, you should be able to just run vmware to continue setup:

kali@kali:~$ vmware
kali@kali:~$

At this point, you should be be straight forward, often just clicking through.

Setup

The first part may be VMware Kernel Modules.

If vmware wasn’t called with superuser privileges, you may be prompted for a password.

At this point, it may not install correctly, and get the error message: Unable to install all modules. See log /tmp/vmware-kali/vmware-*.log for details. (Exit code 1). This is often due to Kali’s kernel being newer than what VMware is expecting.

Looking at the log may help with troubleshooting the issue as well as the guide at the end of this post, vmware-host-modules.

You will need to accept the legal agreement.

You may wish for it VMware to check for any updates.

You may wish to join “VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program”.

Enter the current username.

Enter a location for Shared VMs (this is different to each users own VMs).

Enter a port for HTTPS access

If you have a product key, you can enter it now, else it will be a trial for 30 days.

You may be once again prompt for superuser privileges if you didn’t execute the setup file with it.

The final screen should look like this.

If you now wish, you are able to install Kali Linux in a VMware VM (on Kali Linux).

Troubleshooting

libaio missing

If you see the following problem, upon trying to run vmware.

Try installing the libaio1package:

kali@kali:~$ vmware
[AppLoader] Use shipped Linux kernel AIO access library.
An up-to-date "libaio" or "libaio1" package from your system is preferred.
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo apt install -y libaio1
[...]
kali@kali:~$

Then the next time you start vmware, it should of gone away.

Missing Packages

From time to time, things may not go right. There could be a number of reasons why VMware may not install. The first thing to check would be you have all the necessary packages installed:

kali@kali:~$ sudo apt install -y build-essential linux-headers-$( uname -r ) vlan libaio1
[...]
kali@kali:~$

Try running vmware again, and see if now setup continues.

Too Newer Kernel

A common issue is because the setup file for VMware isn’t supporting the latest kernels, which could be an issue as Kali Linux is a rolling distribution and receives frequent updates. If this is the case, we can patch VMware modules to support this:

kali@kali:~$ sudo apt install -y git
[...]
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo git clone \
  -b workstation-$( grep player.product.version /etc/vmware/config | sed '/.*\"\(.*\)\".*/ s//\1/g' ) \
  https://github.com/mkubecek/vmware-host-modules.git \
  /opt/vmware-host-modules/
[...]
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ cd /opt/vmware-host-modules/
kali@kali:/opt/vmware-host-modules$ sudo make
kali@kali:/opt/vmware-host-modules$
kali@kali:/opt/vmware-host-modules$ grep -q pte_offset_map ./vmmon-only/include/pgtbl.h && \
  sudo sed -i 's/pte_offset_map/pte_offset_kernel/' ./vmmon-only/include/pgtbl.h
kali@kali:/opt/vmware-host-modules$
kali@kali:/opt/vmware-host-modules$ sudo make install
kali@kali:/opt/vmware-host-modules$

Try now to install VMware, by doing vmware.

If you are still having issues, you may need to restart your Kali Linux before trying one more final time.

vmware-host-modules + Kernel Updates

As VMware has various kernel modules, we need to make sure they are kept up-to-date and re-patched when Kali Linux’s kernel gets updated. This can be achieved by the steps in the following guide:

kali@kali:~$ sudo tee /etc/kernel/install.d/99-vmmodules.install << EOF
#!/bin/bash

export LANG=C

COMMAND="\$1"
KERNEL_VERSION="\${2:-\$( /usr/bin/uname -r )}"
BOOT_DIR_ABS="\$3"
KERNEL_IMAGE="\$4"

VMWARE_VERSION=\$(/usr/bin/grep player.product.version /etc/vmware/config | /usr/bin/sed '/.*\"\(.*\)\".*/ s//\1/g')

ret=0

{
    [ -z "\${VMWARE_VERSION}" ] && exit 0

    /usr/bin/git clone -b workstation-"\${VMWARE_VERSION}" https://github.com/mkubecek/vmware-host-modules.git /opt/vmware-host-modules-"\${VMWARE_VERSION}"/
    cd /opt/vmware-host-modules-"\${VMWARE_VERSION}"/

    /usr/bin/make VM_UNAME="\${KERNEL_VERSION}"
    /usr/bin/make install VM_UNAME="\${KERNEL_VERSION}"

    ((ret+=\$?))

} || {
    echo "Unknown error occurred."
    ret=1

}

exit \${ret}
EOF
kali@kali:~$

Still can’t start up VMware? vmware-modconfi

If VMware is unsuccessful, we can dig a little further by running the following:

kali@kali:~$ sudo vmware-modconfig --console --install-all
[...]
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo vmware-modconfig --console --install-all 2>&1 | grep error
[...]
kali@kali:~$

Looking at the output, may either give us the exact issue, or at the very least something to search the Internet for.

Can’t Power on a Virtual Machine

You may also face the following issues, when trying to power on a VM.

Failed to initialize monitor device
Could not open /dev/vmmon: No such file or directory. Please make sure that kernel module 'vmmon' is loaded
Unable to change virtual machine power state: Transport (VMDB) error -14: Pipe connection has been broken.

The quickest solution to fix these would be to reboot Kali Linux and try again.

Kali Linux Guide; Virtualization, Running Kali Linux as a Virtual Machine in Windows

2026-06-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

As time moves on Antivirus and EDR programs are working to implement new capabilities to identify hacking tools. These hacking tools are usually signatured by Antivirus programs to protect the host operating system from being infected. Many of the tools, exploits, and resources that are contained in Kali Linux have been signatured by these Antivirus products. So how does signature based detection work?

An antivirus signature is a sequence of bytes that are contained within a program. The files on your host system are scanned and the antivirus program compares them against there database that contains these signatures to see if there is a match. When a match is identified the file is quarantined and removed from the host system.

Although the antivirus program is doing its job, there are some ways that we can protect our Kali Linux Virtual Machine from being quarantined by the host Antivirus Software. This process will focus on implementing these exclusions with Windows Security:

Setting an Exclusion Folder in Windows Security

This process will work on Windows 10 and Windows 11

In Windows you can stop Windows Security from alerting you or blocking your virtual machine by adding it to the exclusion list. To do this you need to go to the following:

Select “Start” > “Settings” > “Update & Security” > “Windows Security” > “Virus & threat protection”.

Under “Virus & threat protection settings”, select “Manage settings”, and then under “Exclusions”, select “Add or remove exclusions”.

Select “Add an exclusion”. A drop down menu will appear and then you can select files, folders, file types, or process. If you select the folder exclusion will apply to all subfolders within the folder as well.

Select the folder you want to use that will contain the files needed to run your Kali Linux Virtual Machine. (In this situation I want to save my Kali Linux Virtual Machine in a folder that I made on my Desktop.)

Now that the folder is set as an exclusion, Windows Security will not scan the folder that contains your Kali Linux Virtual Machine.

References

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/add-an-exclusion-to-windows-security-811816c0-4dfd-af4a-47e4-c301afe13b26

Kali Linux Guide; Virtualization, Kali inside Proxmox (Guest VM)

2026-05-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

Proxmox has two ways of accessing a nested environment. The first is through virtualization, using QEMU. The other is through containerization using LXC. We will discuss both methods (for QEMU there are two ways of installation).

Kali as a Proxmox VM (Virtualization) using prebuilt virtual machine

Go to Kali images and select “Pre-built Virtual Machines”
Download the proper image (Qemu64 or Qemu32)
Extract the image from the downloaded file (note that this is 7Zipformat)
Rename the file to *.iso (i.e. change the file extension from qcow2 to iso). Take a note of the file name (eg. kali-linux-2025.3-qemu-amd64.iso)
Open Proxmox
Select the storage to be used (eg. locate correct node and find local) in the left pane
In the middle pane select ISO images and click Upload
Click Select File and then select the previously extracted (and renamed) file. Click upload and wait for upload to complete
Click Create VM:
- Fill in ‘VM ID’ and ‘Name’. Enable ‘Start at boot’ if this is wanted. Click Next
- Select ‘Do not use any media’. Click Next
- Enable ‘Qemu Agent’. Click Next
- Click on Delete next to the scsi0 disk (will change to No Disks). Click Next
- Set needed number of CPUs (or leave to default). Clck Next
- Set memory to 2048 or more. Click Next
- Set network according to need (or leave to default). Click Next
- Review configuration and click Finish
Right click on node and select Shell
Locate the uploaded file by issuing a find / -name {filename} (eg. find / -name kali-linux-2025.3-qemu-amd64.iso)
Change directory to the location of the file
Rename file from *.iso to *.qcow2 (eg. mv kali-linux-2025.3-qemu-amd64.iso kali-linux-2025.3-qemu-amd64.qcow2)
Run command qm importdisk VM-ID {filename.qcow2} {storage} (eg. qm importdisk 108 kali-linux-2025.3-qemu-amd64.qcow2 local-lvm)
Close shell
In Proxmox, locate the created VM
In the middle pane, click Hardware and then locate the ‘Unused disk 0’ in the right pane. Click Edit
Make necessary changes to the configuration and then click Add
A new disk has been created so boot order must be adjusted; click Options in the middle pane then click ‘Boot Order’ in the right pane. Click Edit
Enable the (only) disk and then change the boot order so that the disk is either #1 or #2 (preceded by ide2 / CD). Click OK
Now Kali is ready to start. Please remember that the default credentials “kali/kali” is to be used when logging in (ie. remember to change these)

Kali as a Proxmox VM (Virtualization)

We will go over the steps and discuss some of the changes that can be made.

Download the latest ISO from get Kali
- NOTE: Use the standard, weekly, or everything installer ISOs. The net installer ISO does not have necessary drivers for virtual network adapters supported in Proxmox.
Select “Create VM”
Assign the VM a name and ID
Select the ISO we downloaded previously
We can skip past “System” using the defaults
Create a disk with at least 20 GiB, you may need more so think about your needs when selecting storage
Select 2 for both “Sockets” and “Cores” to get our total cores to 4, you may be able to use less or may need more, again think about your needs
Use at least 2048 MiB
Be sure to select the proper network device, if you are unsure which to select leave it as default
Confirm your settings

From here we select the new VM under our node and after selecting “Console” we select “Start Now”. From here we can proceed as though it is a normal install.

Kali as a Proxmox CT (Containerization)

We will go over the steps and discuss some of the changes that can be made.

We first need to install the container template to be used. To do this we navigate to a LXD repo and determine what our requirements are. For this guide, we have a Proxmox system that is run on amd64 hardware, so we select that. We are going to select default, this will go for all hardware options. Next we select the most recent date. Now we download the “rootfs.squashfs”.

To convert “rootfs.squashfs” to “rootfs.tar.xz” you can use sqfs2tar:

Install sqfs2tar with sudo apt install squashfs-tools-ng.
Run sqfs2tar rootfs.squashfs | xz > rootfs.tar.xz
Upload rootfs.tar.xz to your “CT Templates” location in Proxmox (rename as needed).

To create a container in Proxmox using this template:

Select “Create CT”
Assign the container a hostname and a password. If relevant, supply a SSH public key as well.
Select the template we uploaded previously
Depending on the use-case of this container, you may want to give the system more storage. A good balance would be to give it 20 GiB for a typical Kali install.
Up the “Cores” to be 2, you may be able to use less or may need more, think about your needs
Again, depending on the use case you may want to up the amount of memory. A good balance would be to give it 2048 for a typical Kali install, with 1024 swap.
Select network settings if necessary, otherwise leave as default.
If necessary change the DNS settings
Confirm settings and finish setup

From here we wait for the container to be created and finish with “TASK OK”. Once this is complete we can close this window, select the container under our node, select console, and select “Start” on the top bar. We login with “root” user and the password we input earlier.

Kali Linux Guide; Virtualization

2026-05-22T05:23:00.000-07:00

Customizing a Kali Vagrant Vagrantfile

Vagrant has a great feature when getting started where you create a Vagrantfile unique to the box you are trying to install. For example, Kali has this Vagrantfile when starting up a Kali Vagrant machine:

kali@kali:~$ cat Vagrantfile | grep -v '#'

Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|

  config.vm.box = "kalilinux/rolling"








end

What we see here is that Vagrant is configuring to use ‘2’ and the ‘vm.box’ is Kali. Perfect! But what does that mean? Well, ‘2’ is actually just what version of Vagrant we are running (Vagrant 1.1 and newer) and ‘vm.box’ just says that we are using Kali. So what can we do with this? Well HashiCorp actually provides some pretty nice documentationon how to configure it and discusses all of the different configuration values, so we aren’t going to go through them all. Instead we will discuss some of them that will make Kali a better experience for you.

Vagrantfile configuration to improve Kali

We will not be discussing the actual description of the configuration option, as that is better explained by HashiCorp, but we will discuss how Kali may benefit from it.

config.vm.base_address - Setting the default IP address may be useful for quite a lot of circumstances, however it also is just helpful to know what your IP is when setting up reverse shells.
config.vm.hostname - Set a new hostname so you don’t have the default one!
config.vm.provider - It may be helpful to select which VM provider you want if you have multiple. Note that this can also be done with the command flag --provider.
config.vm.provision - This optionmay be helpful for people who want to configure some type of option post Vagrant start up. For example, if we want to post-startup ensure that Kali is up-to-date and we have kali-linux-large installed, we can do that pretty easily.
config.vm.usable_port_range - If we want to use a larger port range then this is a must know.
config.ssh.forward_x11 - This option may be helpful if you are wanting GUI access for a certain app.

Deploying Kali over Network PXE Install

2026-05-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

It is possible to boot and installing Kali Linux over the network, using Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE). There is a range of environments where this beneficial such as a single laptop install with no CDROMor USBports, to enterprise deployments supporting pre-seedingof the Kali Linux installation.

By using a “slimed down” image, network booting (Netboot), it only has the essential packages in order for the setup to work. Everything else is pulled down during installation, making sure everything is fully up-to-date after the installation.

We will cover a few different ways of using PXE. The first way will be how to manually set up PXE with dnsmasq. The final way will utilize netbootxyz, which hosts the PXE files and uses a separate DNS server to properly direct computers.

Manually setting up a PXE Server with `dnsmasq`

First, we need to install dnsmasqwhich will provide the DHCP/TFTP service:

kali@kali:~$ sudo apt install -y dnsmasq
[...]
kali@kali:~$

In dnsmasq.conf, enable DHCP, TFTP and PXE booting and set the dhcp-range to match your environment (we are using 192.168.101.100-200). If needed you can also define your DNS servers (8.8.8.8 & 8.8.4.4) and gateway (192.168.101.1) with the dhcp-option directive as shown below:

kali@kali:~$ cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/dnsmasq.conf
interface=eth0
dhcp-range=192.168.101.100,192.168.101.200,12h
dhcp-boot=pxelinux.0
enable-tftp
tftp-root=/tftpboot/
dhcp-option=3,192.168.101.1
dhcp-option=6,8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4
EOF
kali@kali:~$

Now in our above example, we used /tftpboot/ for the home directory of TFTP, which we now need to create, as this will hold the Kali Linux Netboot image:

kali@kali:~$ sudo mkdir -pv /tftpboot/
mkdir: created directory '/tftpboot/'
kali@kali:~$

With the edits in place, the dnsmasq service needs to be restarted in order for the changes to take effect:

kali@kali:~$ sudo systemctl restart dnsmasq
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo systemctl enable dnsmasq
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo systemctl status dnsmasq
[...]
kali@kali:~$

Download Kali PXE Netboot Images

We can now download the Kali Netboot image we wish to serve:

# 64-bit:
sudo wget https://http.kali.org/kali/dists/kali-rolling/main/installer-amd64/current/images/netboot/netboot.tar.gz -P /tftpboot/

The last step is to extract the contents and do a little bit of house keeping:

kali@kali:~$ sudo tar -zxpvf /tftpboot/netboot.tar.gz -C /tftpboot
[...]
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo rm -v /tftpboot/netboot.tar.gz
removed '/tftpboot/netboot.tar.gz'
kali@kali:~$

Configure Target to Boot From Network

With everything configured, you can now boot your target system and configure it to boot from the network. It should get an IP address from your PXE server and begin booting Kali Linux.

Depending on the manufacture, will depending on the keyboard shortcut required to bring up the boot menu. Common keys are: ESC, F2, F8 and F12:

Afterwards, select the network card:

If everything works right, you should shortly see a screen similar to the following. Please note, it may take a few seconds in order to get an IP address:

Finally, you should see the Netboot GRUB:

Troubleshooting

If you see either of the following screens, it could be due to the machine unable to get an IP address from the PXE service:

The first thing would be to check the status of dnsmasq:

kali@kali:~$ sudo systemctl status dnsmasq
[...]
     Active: active (running) since Wed 2023-06-07 13:48:15 BST; 17s ago
[...]
Jun 07 13:48:15 kali dnsmasq-dhcp[1960]: DHCP, IP range 192.168.101.100 -- 192.168.101.200, lease time 12h
Jun 07 13:48:15 kali dnsmasq-tftp[1960]: TFTP root is /tftpboot/
Jun 07 13:48:15 kali dnsmasq[1960]: reading /etc/resolv.conf
Jun 07 13:48:15 kali dnsmasq[1960]: using nameserver 8.8.8.8#53
[...]
Jun 07 13:48:31 kali dnsmasq-dhcp[1960]: no address range available for DHCP request via eth0
lines 1-23/23 (END)

The line which sticks out here is:

no address range available for DHCP request via eth0

A possible reason for this is the IP range (192.168.101.100 -> 192.168.101.200) is outside of the range used by the interface (192.168.0.3):

kali@kali:~$ ip a
[...]
2: eth0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc mq state UP group default qlen 1000
[...]
    inet 192.168.0.3/24 brd 192.168.1.255 scope global dynamic noprefixroute eth0
[...]
kali@kali:~$

We can have a go at dynamically, generating the configuration:

kali@kali:~$ interface=eth0
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ network=$( ip -4 addr show dev ${interface} | grep -oP '(?<=inet\s)\d+(\.\d+){2}' )
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/dnsmasq.conf
interface=${interface}
dhcp-range=${network}.100,${network}.200,12h
dhcp-boot=pxelinux.0
enable-tftp
tftp-root=/tftpboot/
dhcp-option=3,$( ip -4 route show dev ${interface} | grep -oP '(?<=default\svia\s)(\d+(\.\d+){3})' )
dhcp-option=6,8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4
EOF
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo systemctl restart dnsmasq
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo systemctl status dnsmasq
[...]

Please note, you will need to disable your existing DHCP service, else there will be a race in which service is able to response quicker.

Post Installation

Now that you’ve completed installing Kali Linux, it’s time to customize your system. The General Use section has more information and you can also find tips on how to get the most out of Kali Linux in our User Forums.

Auto Updating

One last thing we need to do if we want to use this system in the future is set up a cron job to pull in the new Netboot images regularly in case of kernel updates. We will create a simple script and set its permissions:

kali@kali:~$ sudo mkdir -pv /opt/pxe/
mkdir: created directory '/opt/pxe/'
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ cat <<'EOF' | sudo tee /opt/pxe/tftpboot.sh
#!/usr/bin/env sh

## Our desired path for the PXE image to be saved to
tftp=/tftpboot

## amd64 (64-bit)
arch=amd64

## Complete remove and create the previous directory containing the PXE image
rm -rfv "${tftp:?}"/*

## Download the newest version
wget "https://http.kali.org/kali/dists/kali-rolling/main/installer-${arch}/current/images/netboot/netboot.tar.gz" -O "${tftp}/netboot.tar.gz"

## Extract
tar -zxpvf /tftpboot/netboot.tar.gz -C "${tftp}"

## Clean up
rm -v "${tftp}/netboot.tar.gz"
EOF
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo chmod 0700 /opt/pxe/tftpboot.sh
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo chown root: /opt/pxe/tftpboot.sh

As we are going to quickly make a new user, tftp and set both folders permissions:

kali@kali:~$ sudo adduser --system --home /opt/pxe/ tftp
adduser: Warning: The home dir /opt/pxe/ you specified already exists.
Adding system user `tftp' (UID 117) ...
Adding new user `tftp' (UID 117) with group `nogroup' ...
adduser: The home directory `/opt/pxe/' already exists.  Not touching this directory.
adduser: Warning: The home directory `/opt/pxe/' does not belong to the user you are currently creating.
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ sudo chown -R tftp: /opt/pxe/ /tftpboot/
kali@kali:~$

The last item left is to setup a schedule task. We will use cron:

kali@kali:~$ sudo crontab -u tftp -e
[...]
0 5 * * 2 /opt/pxe/tftpboot.sh >/dev/null
kali@kali:~$

Now, every Tuesday at 05:00, our Netboot image should self-update!

Pre-seeding PXE

Pre-seed file

We can use the following pre-seed file to automatically install our Kali instance. Be sure to change package selection, user information, region information, and hard drive to match what you are using. Alternatively, should you want to be prompted for any of those, just comment out the line:

kali@kali:~$ cat <<'EOF' | sudo tee /opt/pxe/preseed.cfg
# Package selection
d-i pkgsel/include string kali-linux-default kali-desktop-xfce

# User information
d-i passwd/user-fullname string kali
d-i passwd/username string kali
d-i passwd/user-password password kali
d-i passwd/user-password-again password kali

# Region Information
d-i time/zone string US/Eastern
d-i debian-installer/locale string en_US
d-i debian-installer/language string en
d-i debian-installer/country string US
d-i debian-installer/locale string en_US.UTF-8
d-i keyboard-configuration/xkb-keymap select us

# Hard drive
d-i grub-installer/bootdev string /dev/sda

d-i netcfg/get_hostname string kali
d-i netcfg/get_domain string unnasigned-domain
tasksel tasksel/first multiselect standard
d-i mirror/country string enter information manually
d-i mirror/suite string kali-rolling
d-i mirror/codename string kali-rolling
d-i mirror/http/hostname string http.kali.org
d-i mirror/http/directory string /kali
d-i mirror/http/proxy string
d-i partman-auto/method string regular
d-i partman-auto-lvm/guided_size string max
d-i partman-auto/choose_recipe select atomic
d-i partman-partitioning/confirm_write_new_label boolean true
d-i partman/choose_partition select finish
d-i partman/confirm boolean true
d-i partman/confirm_nooverwrite boolean true
d-i partman-md/confirm boolean true
d-i partman-partitioning/confirm_write_new_label boolean true
d-i partman/choose_partition select finish
d-i partman/confirm boolean true
d-i partman/confirm_nooverwrite boolean true
d-i grub-installer/only_debian boolean true
d-i grub-installer/with_other_os boolean true
d-i finish-install/reboot_in_progress note
d-i apt-setup/services-select multiselect
d-i apt-setup/non-free boolean true
d-i apt-setup/contrib boolean true
d-i apt-setup/disable-cdrom-entries boolean true
d-i apt-setup/enable-source-repositories boolean false
d-i pkgsel/upgrade select full-upgrade
d-i passwd/root-login boolean false
d-i preseed/early_command string anna-install eatmydata-udeb
d-i pkgsel/update-policy select none
popularity-contest popularity-contest/participate boolean false
encfs encfs/security-information boolean true
encfs encfs/security-information seen true
console-setup console-setup/charmap47 select UTF-8
samba-common samba-common/dhcp boolean false
macchanger macchanger/automatically_run boolean false
kismet-capture-common kismet-capture-common/install-users string
kismet-capture-common kismet-capture-common/install-setuid boolean true
wireshark-common wireshark-common/install-setuid boolean true
sslh sslh/inetd_or_standalone select standalone
atftpd atftpd/use_inetd boolean false
EOF
kali@kali:~$

Pre-seed integration to initrd

To incorporate this into our initrd to automatically run we must do the following:

Please note, we are using 64-bit/AMD64.

kali@kali:~$ cd /tftpboot/debian-installer/amd64/
kali@kali:/tftpboot/debian-installer/amd64$
kali@kali:/tftpboot/debian-installer/amd64$ sudo gunzip initrd.gz
kali@kali:/tftpboot/debian-installer/amd64$
kali@kali:/tftpboot/debian-installer/amd64$ sudo cp -v /opt/pxe/preseed.cfg preseed.cfg
'/opt/pxe/preseed.cfg' -> './preseed.cfg'
kali@kali:/tftpboot/debian-installer/amd64$
kali@kali:/tftpboot/debian-installer/amd64$ echo preseed.cfg | sudo cpio -H newc -o -A -F initrd
6 blocks
kali@kali:/tftpboot/debian-installer/amd64$ sudo gzip initrd
kali@kali:/tftpboot/debian-installer/amd64$

Now all that is left to-do, is boot from network, and select “Install” and watch the unattended setup progress!

Using netbootxyz to host our PXE files

To install and use netbootxyz we recommend to follow the official documentation. This will allow us to set up a server and use our existing DHCP server to point to it, rather than creating a new DHCP server, as well as having a web interface to manage items.

ZenLake OS (or ZenLake Linux) is a modern and lightweight Linux distribution

2026-05-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

ZenLake OS 26.04 was released on May 8, 2026, based on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS ("Resolute Raccoon"). This new version features the GNOME 50 desktop, Linux kernel 7.0, and aims to be a user-friendly, lightweight distribution with a Windows-like layout.

Key Updates and Features (As of May 2026)

Release: ZenLake OS 26.04 is now available.
Base: Built upon Ubuntu 26.04 LTS.
Desktop: Features GNOME 50 with a customized, user-friendly layout including a taskbar, for users familiar with Windows-like workflows.
Core: Powered by Linux Kernel 7.0.
Features: Includes Wayland display server, built-in system restoration capabilities, and supports both Snap and Flatpak.
Availability: Refreshed ISOs are typically aimed at new installations to minimize update requirements. [

BTRFS Install (Kali Unkaputtbar)

2026-05-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wished you could travel back in time after deleting that all important customer report or installing a broken driver just before heading into the board meeting?

Well, you better read on, because now you can!

All it takes is to install Kali Linux 2022.1or newer with btrfs as file system and to enable snapshotting after installation.

You can even boot into any of your saved snapshots via the boot menu and easily rollback to a previous system state:

Content

Overview

btrfsis a modern Copy on Write (CoW) filesystem for Linux aimed at implementing advanced features such as pooling, snapshots, checksums, and integrated multi-device spanning. In particular, the snapshotsupport is what makes btrfs attractive for Kali installations on bare metal. Virtualization solutions such as VMware and VirtualBox provide their own snapshotting functionality and using btrfs in those environments is not really required.

The snapshotting strategy of this walk-through centres around a tool called “snapper” from our friends over at SUSE. Snapper transparently hooks into the apt workflow and automatically creates snapshots before and after any apt operation. This neat little feature allows to easily rollback a system after a botched upgrade.

To top things off, we added grub-btrfsby Antyneato automatically add a list of snapshots to the grub boot menu.

Snapper-guiby Ricardo Vieirais another great tool we use to make our lives easier.

Installation Overview

Installing Kali Linux with snapshotting functionality is very similar to a standard installation except that we install it with btrfs as file system.

After the installation, we will install some tools and create a default configuration for snapper.

Partitioning Scheme

When selecting “btrfs” as file system, the installer will automatically create the following subvolume layout:

Mount Point         | Subvolume         | Description
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
/                   | @                 | The root filesystem incl. /boot
/.snapshots         | @.snapshots       | Snapper's snapshot directory
/home               | @home             | User home directories
/root               | @root             | The root user's home directory
/var/log            | @var@log          | Log files
/srv                | @srv              | Site-specific data served by this system
/tmp                | @tmp              | Temporary files
/usr/local          | @usr@local        | Tertiary hierarchy for local data

Kali Linux BTRFS Installation Steps

Kali Linux Installation Procedure

To start your installation, boot with your chosen installation medium. You should be greeted with the Kali Boot screen. Choose Graphical Install.
The installation steps are identical to a default Kali installation except changing “ext4” to “btrfs” as file system:

At the “Partition Disk” screen, choose “Guided - use entire disk”:

Click “Continue”:

Double-click on the / partition:

Choose “btrfs”:

Select “Done setting up the partition” and continue:

Select “Finish partitioning and write changes to disk” and continue with the installation.

# Set a secure root password or you'll struggle to log into a recovery shell
$ sudo passwd

# Install some essential tools
$ sudo apt update && sudo apt install btrfs-progs snapper snapper-gui grub-btrfs

# Create the snapper configuration for the root filesystem "/"
$ sudo cp /usr/share/snapper/config-templates/default /etc/snapper/configs/root
$ sudo sed -i 's/^SNAPPER_CONFIGS=\"\"/SNAPPER_CONFIGS=\"root\"/' /etc/default/snapper

# Prevent "updatedb" from indexing the snapshots, which would slow down the system
$ sudo sed -i '/# PRUNENAMES=/ a PRUNENAMES = ".snapshots"' /etc/updatedb.conf

We need to tweak the desktop managers to work in read only snapshots. Pick your DE from the following:

GNOME:

# Reconfigure gdm to allow booting into read-only snapshots
# GDM needs to have write access to "/var/lib/gdm3" and "/var/lib/AccountService" during login.
# We have to create additional subvolumes for them:

$ mount # Pick your main partition, </dev/sda1> in our example, replace </dev/sda1> it with yours
$ sudo mount </dev/sda1> /mnt
$ sudo btrfs subvolume create /mnt/@var@lib@gdm3
$ sudo btrfs subvolume create /mnt/@var@lib@AccountsService

$ sudo mv /var/lib/gdm3/* /var/lib/gdm3/.* /mnt/@var@lib@gdm3
$ sudo mv /var/lib/AccountsService/* /var/lib/AccountsService/.* /mnt/@var@lib@AccountsService/

$ sudo vi /etc/fstab # Add the following (substitute the <UUID> with yours)

# /var/lib/gdm3 was on /dev/sda1 during installation
UUID=<dc1ca012-9349-4fcf-b761-ca323379b019> /var/lib/gdm3   btrfs   defaults,subvol=@var@lib@gdm3 0       0

# /var/lib/AccountsService was on /dev/sda1 during installation
UUID=<dc1ca012-9349-4fcf-b761-ca323379b019> /var/lib/AccountsService   btrfs   defaults,subvol=@var@lib@AccountsService 0       0

# Reboot for the changes to take effect
$ sudo reboot

KDE:

# KDE works out of the box, just reboot and enjoy
$ sudo reboot

XFCE:

# Reconfigure lightdm to allow booting into read-only snapshots
$ sudo sed -i 's/^#user-authority-in-system-dir=false/user-authority-in-system-dir=true/' /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf
$
$ sudo reboot

The first reboot will create the first automatic snapshot. Reboot again to find the new boot menu entry for this snapshot:

Congratulations, you have just installed a Kali system with automatic snapshotting functionality! Next, we will cover some basic usage examples.

Usage

Modify configurations

Out of the box Kali creates snapshots of the root directory to allow system rollbacks. Snapshots are automatically created during apt operations, at specified time intervals, and on every boot. The configuration can be changed via the “snapper-gui” tool. Just click on the little icon in the top left hand corner and select “Properties”:

Create additional configurations

To create snapshots of your home directory, you can create a new configuration using snapper-gui.

Click on “New” -> “Create Configuration”

Create a snapshot

To manually create a snapshot using snapper-gui, select the appropriate configuration tab (home in this case) and click “New” -> “Create Snapshot”

List snapshots

Snapshots are listed in the snapper-gui:

Alternatively, snapshots on all configurations can be viewed using the snapper command line tool:

$ sudo snapper list -a

Delete snapshots

The easiest way to delete a snapshot is by using the snapper command line tool:

sudo snapper delete <number-or-number-range>

Voilà, easy.

Now is probably the right time to flick through the snapper command line options via:

snapper --help

Rollback

To roll back to a previous snapshot we have to remember two things:

The root / of the file system has been installed in a subvolume /@" and not the root of the btrfs partition /
A snapshot is treated like just another subvolume except that they are read-only
You can easily boot into your read-only snapshots to find the one you want to roll-back to.

Thus all we have to do is mount the btrfs partition and replace the current root subvolume @ with the last snapshot. To be safe we’ll backup the current root (@) subvolume.

E.g.:

# get the device that contains your "/" subvolume and remember it for the next step:
mount | grep 'subvol=/@)'

# mount your root partition (replace "/dev/sda2" with yours from above):
sudo mount /dev/sda2 -o subvol=/ /mnt

# Move the old root away:
sudo mv /mnt/@ /mnt/@_badroot

# Roll back to a previous snapshot by creating a read-write copy of it as "@"":
sudo btrfs subvolume snapshot /mnt/@.snapshots/XXXXX/snapshot /mnt/@

# That's it, reboot:
sudo reboot -f

Diff

Snapper is chock-a-block with powerful features like diffs between snapshots:

Browse snapshots

You can even browse the content of snapshots:

Full recovery from an unbootable system

Boot into a last known good snapshot

Let’s assume that the last upgrade broke our machine. Every run of “apt install” creates to snapshots, one “pre” snapshot is created before the installation and one “post” snapshot is created after the installation.

To undo the last “apt upgrade”, we would boot into the last “pre” snapshot and check if everything is working again:

Now you can login to the snapshot.

Please note that the snapshot is read only and you might receive an error message from an applet or two after logging in. Just ignore that.

Have a look around ensure that this is what you would like to roll-back to.

Rollback

Remember that “/” itself is the subvolume “@”. To rollback to a snapshot, all we have to do is replace “@” with the snapshot we want.

First we have to mount the physical partition that holds all our subvolumes. Let’s find it first

mount | grep 'subvol='

and then mount it (/dev/sda2 in this example:

sudo mount /dev/sda2 -o subvol=/ /mnt

If we list the content of that partition we can see all the subvolumes, including the one containing our snapshots:

Before we replace the current root with our snapshot, let’s move “@” away just to be safe:

sudo mv /mnt/@ /mnt/@_old

Now we can create a read-write snapshot of the current read-only snapshot (in this example we booted into the read-only snapshot “6” according to the query above):

sudo btrfs subvolume snapshot /mnt/@.snapshots/6/snapshot /mnt/@

And that’s all there is to it, now we can reboot as if nothing ever happened to our beautiful machine:

References

Dual Booting Kali with Linux

2026-05-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

Installing Kali Linux alongside another Linux installation can be quite useful. However, you need to exercise caution during the setup process. First, make sure that you’ve backed up any important data on your Linux installation. Since you’ll be modifying your hard drive, you’ll want to store this backup on external media. Once you’ve completed the backup, we recommend you peruse our Kali Linux Hard Disk install guide, which explains the normal procedure for a basic Kali Linux install.

In our example, we will be installing Kali Linux alongside an installation of Ubuntu (Server 18.04), which is currently taking up 100% of the disk space in our computer. We will start by resizing our current Linux partition to occupy less space and then proceed to install Kali Linux in the newly-created empty partition.

Installation Prerequisites

This guide will make the following assumptions:

You have read our single boot Kali Linux install guide, as this has the same Installation Prerequisites (System requirements & setup assumptions).
When downloading Kali Linux, pick the live image, rather than the installer option.
A single disk to install to (rather than a dedicated disk per operating system).

We need to use a different image from the single boot Kali Linux install guide, as we need the live image. This is because we need to edit the disk structure without mounting any partitions (otherwise they would be in-use). After we have finished altering the disk layout, we can still install Kali Linux using the live image, but there will be a few differences such as:

Changing or removing the desktop environment.
Installing or removing any metapackages.

Both of these can be addressed post installation, as it saves swapping to the installer image (as you will need either multiple CD/DVD/USBs or to re-image half way though).

This installation has the potential to go wrong very easily as it involves editing existing partitions. Be aware of what partitions you are modifying and where you are installing Kali Linux to.
Having a backup of your Linux files available is a good idea in the event something goes wrong.

Resize Linux Procedure

Before we can install Kali Linux, there needs to be room on the hard disk. By booting into a live Kali Linux session with your chosen installation medium, we can resize the partition to our desired size, as the disk will not be in use because Kali Linux will all be in memory.

To start resizing, make sure you insert your Kali Linux installation medium and power on the device. If needed, press any keyboard shortcuts for a “boot order menu” (depends on each manufacture) or boot into BIOS/UEFI and change the boot order to point to the installation medium first.
When the boot menu/options appears, you should see at least one new option. Depending on the manufacture, hardware, how the system is configured and install medium, you may see more options (e.g. Can you boot into non-UEFI?).

You may need to try a few different options in order to find success.

You should be greeted with the Kali Linux boot screen. Select Live, and you should be booted into the Kali Linux default desktop.

Now launch GParted, which we’ll use to shrink the existing Linux partition to give us enough room to install Kali Linux in the free space.

Once GParted has opened, select your Linux partition (/dev/sda1) & resize it leaving enough space (we recommend at least 20 GB) for the Kali Linux installation.

Depending on your setup, the disk structure may be different to include:

A swap partition
Separate partitions for certain directories (e.g. /home, /var and /tmp)

You often just want to select the largest partition (commonly the data/home directory)

If you are moving past into any non-white in the partition then you are editing a section that is in use.
Only remove from the area of the partition that is not in use.

If you wish to organize the partition to group all the Linux partitions together, placing the free space at the end, you may do so.

Once you have resized your Linux partition, ensure you “Apply All Operations” on the hard disk. Exit gparted and reboot.

Kali Linux Installation Procedure

The installation procedure from this point onwards is similar to a Kali Linux Hard Disk install, until the point of the partitioning. At this point, you need to select “Guided - use the largest continuous free space” (rather than “Guided - the entire disk”) which got created earlier with gparted.

You can carry on following the single boot Kali Linux install guide, expect you will not have the option to select desktop environmentor metapackages as you are using the live image. Once the installation is done, reboot.

You should be greeted with a GRUB boot menu, which will allow you to boot either into Kali Linux or the other Linux operating system.

Post Installation

Now that you’ve completed installing Kali Linux, it’s time to customize your system.

Installing Kali Linux

2026-04-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

Installing Kali Linux (single boot) on your computer is an easy process. This guide will cover the basic install (which can be done on bare metal or guest VM), with the option of encrypting the partition. At times, you may have sensitive data you would prefer to encrypt using Full Disk Encryption (FDE). During the setup process you can initiate an LVM encrypted install on either Hard Disk or USB drives.

First, you’ll need compatible computer hardware. Kali Linux is supported on amd64 (x86_64/64-bit) platforms. The hardware requirements are minimal as listed in the section below, although better hardware will naturally provide better performance. You should be able to use Kali Linux on newer hardware with UEFI and older systems with BIOS.

In our example, we will be installing Kali Linux in a fresh guest VM, without any existing operating systems pre-installed. We will explain other possible scenarios throughout the guide.

System Requirements

The installation requirements for Kali Linux will vary depending on what you would like to install and your setup. For system requirements:

On the low end, you can set up Kali Linux as a basic Secure Shell (SSH) server with no desktop, using as little as 128 MB of RAM (512 MB recommended) and 2 GB of disk space.
On the higher end, if you opt to install the default Xfce4 desktop and the kali-linux-default metapackage, you should really aim for at least 2 GB of RAM and 20 GB of disk space.
- When using resource-intensive applications, such as Burp Suite, they recommend at least 8 GB of RAM (and even more if it is a large web application!) or using simultaneous programs at the same time.

Installation Prerequisites

This guide will make also the following assumptions when installing Kali Linux:

Using the amd64 installer image.
CD/DVD drive / USB boot support.
Single disk to install to.
Connected to a network (with DHCP & DNS enabled) which has outbound Internet access.

We will be wiping any existing data on the hard disk, so please backup any important information on the device to an external media.

Preparing for the Installation

Download Kali Linux(We recommendthe image marked Installer).
Burn The Kali Linux ISO to DVD or image Kali Linux Live to USB drive. (If you cannot, check out the Kali Linux Network Install).
Backup any important information on the device to an external media.
Ensure that your computer is set to boot from CD/DVD/USB in your BIOS/UEFI.
In the UEFI settings, ensure that Secure Boot is disabled. The Kali Linux kernel is not signed and will not be recognized by Secure Boot.

Kali Linux Installation Procedure

Boot

To start your installation, boot with your chosen installation medium. You should be greeted with the Kali Linux Boot screen. Choose either Graphical install or Install (Text-Mode). In this example, we chose the Graphical install.

If you’re using the live image instead, you will see another mode, Live, which is also the default boot option.

Language

Select your preferred language. This will be used for both the setup process and once you are using Kali Linux.

Specify your geographic location.

Select your keyboard layout.

Network

The setup will now probe your network interfaces, looks for a DHCP service, and then prompt you to enter a hostname for your system. In the example below, we’ve entered kali as our hostname.

If there is no network access with DHCP service detected, you may need to manually configure the network information or do not configure the network at this time.

If there isn’t a DHCP service running on the network, it will ask you to manually enter the network information after probing for network interfaces, or you can skip.
If Kali Linux doesn’t detect your NIC, you either need to include the drivers for it when prompted, or generate a custom Kali Linux ISOwith them pre-included.
If the setup detects multiple NICs, it may prompt you which one to use for the install.
If the chosen NIC is 802.11 based, you will be asked for your wireless network information before being prompted for a hostname.

You may optionally provide a default domain name for this system to use (values may be pulled in from DHCP or if there is an existing operating systems pre-existing).

User Accounts

Next, create the user account for the system (Full name, username and a strong password).

Clock

Next, set your time zone.

Disk

The installer will now probe your disks and offer you various choices, depending on the setup.

In our guide, we are using a clean disk, so we have four options to pick from. We will select Guided - the entire disk, as this is the single boot installation for Kali Linux, so we do not want any other operating systems installed, so we are happy to wipe the disk.

If there is an pre-existing data on the disk, you will have have an extra option (Guided - use the largest continuous free space) than the example below. This would instruct the setup not to alter any existing data, which is perfect for dual-booting into another operating system. As this is not the case in this example, it is not visible.

Experienced users can use the “Manual” partitioning method for more granular configuration options, which is covered more in our BTRFS guide.

If you want to encrypt Kali Linux, you can enable Full Disk Encryption (FDE), by selecting Guided - used entire disk and setup encrypted LVM. When selected, later on in the setup (not in this guide) prompt you to enter a password (twice). You will have to enter this password every time you start up Kali Linux.

Select the disk to be partitioned.

Depending on your needs, you can choose to keep all your files in a single partition - the default - or to have separate partitions for one or more of the top-level directories.

If you’re not sure which you want, you want “All files in one partition”.

Next, you’ll have one last chance to review your disk configuration before the installer makes irreversible changes. After you click Continue, the installer will go to work and you’ll have an almost finished installation.

Encrypted LVM

If enabled in the previous step, Kali Linux will now start to perform a secure wipe of the hard disk, before asking you for a LVM password.

Please be sure a strong password is used, or else you will be prompted with a weak passphrase warning.

This wipe may take “a while” (hours) depending on the size and speed of the drive.
If you wish to risk it, you can skip it.

Proxy Information

Kali Linux uses a central repository to distribute applications. You’ll need to enter any appropriate proxy information as needed.

Metapackages

If network access was not setup, you will want to continue with setup when prompt.

If you are using the Live image, you will not have the following stage.

Next you can select which metapackagesyou would like to install. The default selections will install a standard Kali Linux system and you don’t really have to change anything here.

Please refer to this guideif you prefer to change the default selections.

Boot Information

Next confirm to install the GRUB boot loader.

Select the hard drive to install the GRUB bootloader in (it does not by default select any drive).

Reboot

Finally, click Continue to reboot into your new Kali Linux installation.

Post Installation

Now that you’ve completed installing Kali Linux, it’s time to customize your system.

The General Use section has more information and you can also find tips on how to get the most out of Kali Linux in our User Forums.

Kali Linux Installation Sizes

2026-04-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

Kali has a lot of customization that can be done during the package selection part of installation. Specifically, there are a total of 20 ways to configure your system during package selection. To help give an idea of what storage size someone should look to have for their preferred packages, we have created this documentation reference page. In general, a disk size of about 60GB will allow for any installation and provide a bit of extra storage for use. If you want a more specific answer, then keep reading!

For this page we are going to break down the installations into five sections, each representing what tool metapackages are selected. In each section, we are also going to list out all four desktop environment choices.

The following table shows the total size of the installation based on which metapackage is chosen. The largest possible installation is 35G, while the smallest possible installation is only 1.8G.

Metapackage/DE
Xfce
GNOME
KDE
Headless

kali-linux-core
3.7G
4.1G
5.2G
1.5G

kali-tools-top10
6.7G
7.0G
8.2G
5.0G

kali-linux-default
13G
13G
15G
13G

kali-linux-large
20G
20G
21G
19G

kali-linux-everything
34G
35G
36G
34G

Zorin OS 18.1 is released.

2026-04-15T14:49:18.334-07:00

Zorinannounces the launch of Zorin OS 18.1, just six months after the launch of Zorin OS 18 and with more than 3.3 million discharges.

This version incorporates improvements, new functions and better compatibility with hardware in our version of Zorin OS, which includes twenty records. This means that you will enjoy an even better computing experience, whether you are a user of Zorin OS or are ready to migrate from Windows.

How to get Zorin OS 18.1

Upgrade

If you’re using Zorin OS 18. You can upgrade to Zorin OS 18.1 by installing the latest updates from the Software Updater today.
If you’re using Zorin OS 17. You can directly upgrade to Zorin OS 18.1 without erasing your files and data. To do so, view our upgrade guide ›

Download

All editions of Zorin OS 18.1 are now available from our website.

Download Zorin OS 18.1

If you’ve already purchased Zorin OS 18 Pro, you can download a new copy of Zorin OS 18.1 Pro from the download link in your original purchase email.

Kali Linux: Installing old i386 images

2026-04-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

Since October 2024, there is no longer a i386 kernel, nor i386 images for Kali Linux. As a reminder, i386 is the name used in Kali (and Debian) to refer to the 32-bit x86 CPU architecture.

In all practicality, it means that it’s no longer possible to run Kali on machines that have such a (rather old) CPU. However, it’s still possible to run programs that were compiled for i386 on a 64-bit machine. In fact, at the time of writing, most of the i386 packages are still available in the repository, and i386 Kali containers are also available.

This change was announced in a blog post, it contains much more details for those interested.

Using old i386 images

The last Kali Linux release that supported the i386 architecture was 2024.3. At the moment, those images are still available for download at https://kali.download/base-images/kali-2024.3/.

After they get removed from the mirrors, users can still use old.kali.org and download the last i386 images from there.

Installing Kali Linux on desktops & laptops using ".ISO" files (x64/x86) Bare-bones Kali

2026-04-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Bare-bones Kali

Kali traditionally has been solely recommended as a penetration testing distribution, and for good reason. However, through the years Kali has become more stable and evolved into something that users can use no matter what their reasoning is. While still primarily a penetration testing distribution, we accept that many users may not even be in the cybersecurity field. For those users wanting to install Kali, but may not need the tools or just want the UI, this guide is for you.

Installing a bare-bones Kali

To get a Kali without any tools is quite easy. We will be following the hard disk installfor the most part. The important part is to select the following packages:

Of course, you can select whichever desktop environment you wish. It is worth mentioning now that KDE has great support for Wacom tablets! Be careful not to mix KDE with another desktop distribution however, as there are some bugs that can occur when this happens.

Now that we are installed and logged in, there are a few things we should do. Keep in mind, these should always be done, not just for a daily use case! Let’s first change the root user’s password:

kali@kali:~$ sudo su
[sudo] password for kali:
root@kali:/home/kali#
root@kali:/home/kali# passwd
New password:
Retype new password:
passwd: password updated successfully

root@kali:/home/kali#

After this we can make sure our system is up-to-date:

kali@kali:~$ sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y
....
kali@kali:~$
kali@kali:~$ [ -f /var/run/reboot-required ] && sudo reboot -f

We can now finish off our setup by making sure kali-tweaks is configured properly:

kali@kali:~$ kali-tweaks

What we are looking for are changes required in ‘Hardening’, unchecking any options to make our system more secure.

Kali Press Release

2026-03-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Introducing Kali Linux

Free All-in-One Solution for Professional Security Auditing

Popular BackTrack Linux Evolves Into Mature, Enterprise-Ready Penetration Testing Toolkit.

Black Hat Europe, Amsterdam – 13th March 2013 – OffSec (previously known as Offensive Security)today announced the availability of Kali Linux, the evolution of its popular BackTrack Linux, a free security auditing operating system and toolkit. Showcased at Black Hat Europe in Amsterdam, Kali Linux incorporates more than 300penetration testing and security auditing programs with a Linux operating system, delivering an all-in-one solution that enables IT administrators and security professionals to test the effectiveness of risk mitigation strategies.

“For IT professionals, an experiment is worth a thousand theories. Applied to security, it means that simulating attacks to assess the defenses protecting your organization is the only sure way to understand their effectiveness and the impact of an attack,” said Mati Aharoni, Lead Trainer and Developer, OffSec. “That’s why we created Kali Linux; we’ve developed the most advanced penetration testing and security auditing toolkit available to help IT administrators and security professionals put themselves in the shoes of potential attackers.”

The new Kali Linux offers a smoother, easier penetration testing experience, making it more accessible to IT generalists as well as security specialists. The new infrastructure incorporates Debian development standardsto provide a more familiar environment for IT administrators. The result is a more robust solution that can be updated more easily. Users can also customize the operating system to tailor it to their needs and preferences.

All the programs packaged with the operating system were evaluated for suitability and effectiveness before being included. They include Metasploit-Frameworkfor network penetration testing, Nmapfor port and vulnerability scanning, Wiresharkfor monitoring network traffic, and Aircrack-ngfor testing the security of wireless networks.

“When it comes to security, the best defense is offense; you need to test the effectiveness of your own security practices before a real intruder does it for you,” said HD Moore, Chief Architect for Metasploit at Rapid7. “We built Metasploit to level the playing field for defenders; arming them with the same tools the attackers have. OffSec takes this even further, bringing hundreds of such tools together in Kali Linux to streamline security auditing.” Additionally, Kali Linux can now run on a wide variety of hardware and is compatible with numerous wireless and USB devices. It also introduced support for ARM devices– typically miniature, battery-powered computers – which are becoming more prevalent and inexpensive. More information on which devices are supported, as well as other documentation, is available on the Kali Linux documentation site.

Pricing and Availability

Like its predecessors, Kali Linux is completely free and always will be. OffSec is committed to supporting the Open-sourcecommunity with the ongoing development of Kali Linux. The development tree and all sources are available for those who wish to tweak and rebuild packages. Kali Linux is available immediately for download from kali.org/get-kali/.

About Kali Linux

Kali Linux(formerly known as BackTrack Linux) is an open-source, Debian-based Linuxdistribution aimed at advanced Penetration Testing and Security Auditing. Kali Linux contains several hundred toolstargeted towards various information security tasks, such as Penetration Testing, Security Research, Computer Forensics and Reverse Engineering. Kali Linux is a multi platform solution, accessible and freely available to information security professionals and hobbyists.

About OffSec

Founded in 2007, Offensive Security was born out of the belief that the only way to achieve sound defensive security is through an offensive approach. The team is made up of security professionals with extensive experience of attacking systems to see how they respond. They share this information through trainings, free tools and publications. With the motto “Try Harder”, the Company’s trainings and certifications are well-respected and considered amongst the most rigorous available, creating a model adopted across the industry. In addition, the Exploit Database, VulnHub, Metasploit Unleashed and BackTrack Linuxcommunity projects are highly-regarded and used by security teams in governmental and commercial organizations across the world. In March 2023 Offensive Security was renamed to OffSec. For more information about OffSec, please visit offsec.com.

Kali Undercover

2026-03-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Kali Undercover is a set of scripts that change the theme of your Kali Linux to a Windows 10 alike theme.

It was released with Kali Linux 2019.4with an important concept in mind, to hide in plain sight.

Going “undercover”

Switching to undercover mode is pretty simple, just run the following command:

kali@kali:~$ kali-undercover
kali@kali:~$

or, you could also look for “Kali Undercover Mode” from the menu of your desktop and launch it from there.

Swoosh! Now, you are (almost) invisible to most indiscreet eyes by having a theme that would make most people think you are using Windows 10.

Reverting Back

Now, to revert back into your previous Kali Linux theme just re-enter the previous command:

kali@kali:~$ kali-undercover
kali@kali:~$

Ta-da! Welcome back! Now, all your desktop settings should be restored.

Purpose of Undercover Mode in Kali Linux

The main purpose of introducing Kali Undercover mode is to prevent any unnecessary attention while using Kali Linux in public.

Let’s imagine a scenario: you are ethically pentesting your client and you are in their office or reception doing reconnaissance or something that involves the use of Kali Linux.

Someone from your client’s office or some random on-looker spots the desktop environment/wallpaper of Kali Linux, so they might think you are doing something mischievous even though you are doing it ethically and warn the authority. All the hard work that you did from the beginning to become stealthy will go in vain. And that’s because of what? A wallpaper! For a client who requested you to become stealthy, this is not what you would want.

Hence, to prevent any kind of unwanted attention from public it’s better to go “Undercover!”.

Kali's Default Credentials

2026-03-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

Kali changed to a non-root user policyby default since the release of 2020.1.

This means:

During the installation of amd64 images, it will prompt you for a standard user account to be created.
Any default operating system credentials used during Live Boot, or pre-created image (like Virtual Machines & ARM) will be:
- User: kali
- Password: kali
Vagrant image (based on their policy):
- Username: vagrant
- Password: vagrant
Amazon EC2:
- User: kali
- Password: <ssh key>

Default Tool Credentials

Some tools shipped with Kali, will use their own default hardcoded credentials (others will generate a new password the first time its used). The following tools have the default values:

BeEF-XSS
- Username: beef
- Password: beef
- Configuration File: /etc/beef-xss/config.yaml
MySQL
- User: root
- Password: (blank)
- Setup Program: mysql_secure_installation
OpenVAS
- Username: admin
- Password: <Generated during setup>
- Setup Program: openvas-setup
Metasploit-Framework
- Username: postgres
- Password: postgres
- Configuration File: /usr/share/metasploit-framework/config/database.yml
PowerShell-Empire/Starkiller
- Username: empireadmin
- Password: password123

For versions of Kali Linux older than 2020.1, here is our previous credential information and root policyinformation.

Linuxlandit & The Conqueror Penguin

Canaima GNU/Linux is a Venezuelan free and open-source Linux distribution, based on Debian

🌐 Overview of Canaima GNU/Linux

📊 Key Features

⚖️ Importance & Impact

The best Linux distributions based on ArchLinux

1. EndeavourOS: The "Purist's" Choice

2. Manjaro: The "User-Friendly" Giant

3. Garuda Linux: The Gamer’s Powerhouse

4. CachyOS: The Speed Demon

5. Archcraft: The Aesthetic Minimalist

The best Linux distributions based on Debian

1. The Best for Most Users (Beginner-Friendly)

2. The Best for Performance & Gaming

3. The Best for Specialized Tasks

The best Linux distributions

1. Best for Beginners & Windows Switchers

2. Best for Gaming

3. Best for Developers & Power Users

4. Specialized Use Cases

Quick Comparison Table

The best multimedia Linux distributions

Top Multimedia Linux Distros

1. Ubuntu Studio

2. Fedora Design Suite

3. AV Linux

4. Modicia O.S.

5. io GNU/Linux

Media Center Distros (for Home Theater)

✅ Recommendation

Kali Linux Guide; Virtualization, Installing VirtualBox on Kali (Host)

Preparation

1. From Kali Linux repositories

2. From Oracle Virtualbox third-party repository

Download

Setup

Games, Linux and Blockchain

Gaming and Linux

Graphics APIs:

Hardware and Drivers:

Kali Linux Guide; Virtualization, Installing VMware on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) Macs (Host)

Why does CachyOS hold the top spot in the DistroWatch ranking?

What is CachyOS?

Kali Linux Guide; Virtualization, Installing VMware on Kali (Host)

Preparation

Download

Setup

Troubleshooting

libaio missing

Missing Packages

Too Newer Kernel

vmware-host-modules + Kernel Updates

Still can’t start up VMware? vmware-modconfi

Can’t Power on a Virtual Machine

Kali Linux Guide; Virtualization, Running Kali Linux as a Virtual Machine in Windows

Setting an Exclusion Folder in Windows Security

References

Kali Linux Guide; Virtualization, Kali inside Proxmox (Guest VM)

Kali as a Proxmox VM (Virtualization) using prebuilt virtual machine

Kali as a Proxmox VM (Virtualization)

Kali as a Proxmox CT (Containerization)

Kali Linux Guide; Virtualization

Customizing a Kali Vagrant Vagrantfile

Vagrantfile configuration to improve Kali

Deploying Kali over Network PXE Install

Manually setting up a PXE Server with dnsmasq

Download Kali PXE Netboot Images

Configure Target to Boot From Network

Troubleshooting

Post Installation

Auto Updating

Pre-seeding PXE

Pre-seed file

Pre-seed integration to initrd

Using netbootxyz to host our PXE files

ZenLake OS (or ZenLake Linux) is a modern and lightweight Linux distribution

BTRFS Install (Kali Unkaputtbar)

Content

Overview

Installation Overview

Manually setting up a PXE Server with `dnsmasq`