Kali Linux

Rank: #25

Website: https://www.kali.org/

IRC:

#kali-linux on Freenode with 193 users online

Description

Kali Linux is a Debian-derived Linux distribution designed for digital forensics and penetration testing. It is maintained and funded by Offensive Security Ltd.

Kali Linux has over 600 preinstalled penetration-testing programs, including Armitage (a graphical cyber attack management tool), Nmap (a port scanner), Wireshark (a packet analyzer), John the Ripper password cracker, Aircrack-ng (a software suite for penetration-testing wireless LANs), Burp suite and OWASP ZAP web application security scanners. Kali Linux can run natively when installed on a computer’s hard disk, can be booted from a live CD or live USB, or it can run within a virtual machine. It is a supported platform of the Metasploit Project’s Metasploit Framework, a tool for developing and executing security exploits.

Kali Linux is based on Debian Testing. Most packages Kali uses are imported from the Debian repositories.

Kali Linux is developed using a secure environment with only a small number of trusted people that are allowed to commit packages, with each package being digitally signed by the developer. Kali also has a custom-built kernel that is patched for 802.11 wireless injection. This was primarily added because the development team found they needed to do a lot of wireless assessments.