KALI Linux Review
A Linux distro intended for Penetration Testing
Perspective
This review is written from the standpoint of being a life-long Windows user. Linux
is new to me, and I hope to learn more about it. This is an accounting of my experience using
this particular distro.
Discovery
Kali Linux is a specialized distro intended for hacking, penetration testing, or
network diagnostics. Kali includes quite a few built in penetration & monitoring tools to
perform these tasks. It's not really intended to be used as a daily driver or for gaming. The
only reason I decided to try it was my passing interest on this subject. I have a background and
programming and network administration so security is of interest to me.
Installation and Hyper-V Settings
Kali is essentially ready to go upon installation without having to install
additional software. Kali can be downloaded as an ISO file or as a pre-made virtual machine
(Hyper-V, VMWare, & Virtual Box). I picked Hyper-V which includes a VHDX file, batch file and
PowerShell script to complete the install of version 2023.4 in seconds. Presumably the other VM
downloads would install just as easily. Use the ISO file if you want more control over the
install or if
your installing onto a dedicated desktop.
The following assumes you have some experience with Hyper-V. Put the VHDX file in the area where
you keep your virtual machines, then create a new virtual machine. You will need to specify your
paths accordingly. I used the following minimal Hyper-V settings in my test environment. If you
are installing this for regular use, you will want to give the VM more memory and disk
resources.
- Generation = 2
- RAM = 4096 (non-dynamic)
- Virtual Processors = 4
- Virtual Hard-Disk = (Specify path to the provided VHDX file)
- Network Adapter = vSwitch
- Integration Services = Check everything
- Checkpoints = disabled
- Page Files = disabled
- Autostart = Nothing
- Automatic Stop = Save
Start the VM, assign your administrator password and your good to go!
Printer Driver
Kali did NOT detect any printers automatically. In fact, I found nothing in the GUI
for printers whatsoever. A Google search revealed that you must install CUPS (Common UNIX
Printing System) to make it possible to print. There are videos on YouTube that show this
process.
WI-FI
This was not tested as I only installed Kali as a virtual machine. My Internet
connection was achieved by using the passthrough ethernet to the host machine.
Samba/SMB Support
Samba allows Windows computers to interact with file shares and printers on a
non-Windows server, making it a crucial tool for interoperability between different operating
systems.
This feature works just as expected without any additional installation or configuration. The
first time you connect to a shared network drive, it may take a second or two. I am assuming the
system has to search for the shared device and folder the network. Then, you’ll need to enter a
password for the network share. Once that’s done, you’re good to go. The connection will stay
active until the computer is shut down. You can access the shared folder as much as you want
without re-inputting a password. I like to bookmark the location within the file manager/file
explorer so I don't need to type the network path. This will save you a little time.
It would be nice to make these connections semi-permanent. I want to be able to set it up and
forget it. I want the ability to bypass the password requirement on my home network.
Software
This is a partial list of some of the software that comes pre-installed with Kali.
Naturally, each of these would have its own set of instructions as well as a separate learning
curve.
NetDiscover, nmap, spiderfoot, nikto, VOIP and fuzzing tools, burpsuite, sqlmap, wpscan,
wordlists, hydra, medusa, kismet, pixiewps, clang, searchsploit, metasploit, wireshark, tcpdump,
macchanger, netcat, powersploit, starkiller, weevely, autopsy, hashdeep, CheeryTree, pipal,
recordmydesktop, and many more.
There does NOT appear to be a software manager like the ones found in many of other Linux
distros. No additional software was installed or and nothing has been tested. If you wish to add
additional software, it would likely be done by downloading from a website or via the command
line.
Windows Hyper-V settings for Kali
I have noticed that using Linux within Hyper-V doesn't allow a person to change the
screen resolution by simply expanding the Window or by changing it within Linux. However it is
possible by making a modification within Grub. Contact Meyer Computer for these
instructions and I can provide them.
Overall Impression of Kali (XFCE)
Setup of the pre-made VM only took a few minutes. Kali really isn't meant to be used
by the casual or novice user or for other tasks. I had a difficult time navigating the default
XFCE desktop as its significantly different than Windows. It seems extremely clumsy with a
taskbar on the top. The lack of native printing ability is also a drawback. I'm NOT saying Kali
bad, it's just not for me as I am neither a hacker or a penetration tester. I am sure it's fine
for its intended purpose. I will update this review if I decide to explore it more.
