KALI Linux Review

Linux distro intended for Penetration Testing

DISCOVERY
Kali Linux is a specialized distro intended for hacking, penetration testing, or network diagnostics. It's not really intended to be used as a daily driver or for gaming. Kali includes quite a few built in penetration & monitoring tools to perform these tasks.

INSTALLATION & HYPER-V SETTINGS
Kali is essentially ready to go upon installation without having to install additional software. Kali can be downloaded as an ISO 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 resources.

 Generation = 2
 RAM = 4096 (non-dynamic)
 Virtual Processors = 4
 Virtual Hard-Disk = (Specify path to the VHDX that was downloaded)
 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
Wi-Fi was not tested, as I only installed Kali as a Hyper-V virtual machine. My Internet connection was acheived by using the passthrough ethernet to the host machine.

Samba/SMB Support Updated 7/26/25
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 littel time.

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, starlkiller, 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 via the command line.

Windows Hyper-V settings for Kali Updated 7/26/25
This section will be added soon!

I have noticed that using Linux within Hyper-V doesnt 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!

OVERALL IMPRESSION OF KALI (XFCE)
Setup of the pre-made VM only took a few minutes. It 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 as I explore it more. Please contact us if you find anything in error within this review so we can make corrections.