Single or multiple boot Kali, giving you complete control over the hardware access (perfect for in-built Wi-Fi and GPU), enabling the best performance.
VMware & VirtualBox pre-built images. Allowing for a Kali install without altering the host OS with additional features such as snapshots. Vagrant images for quick spin-up also available.
Works on relatively inexpensive & low powered Single Board Computers (SBCs) as well as modern ARM based laptops, which combine high speed with long battery life.
A mobile penetration testing platform for Android devices, based on Kali Linux. Kali NetHunter consists of an NetHunter App, App Store, Kali Container, and KeX.
Hosting providers which have Kali Linux pre-installed, ready to go, without worrying about infrastructure maintenance.
Using Docker or LXD, allows for extremely quick and easy access to Kali's tool set without the overhead of an isolated virtual machine.
Quick and easy access to a full Kali install. Your Kali, always with you, without altering the host OS, plus allows you to benefit from hardware access.
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is included out of the box with modern Windows. Use Kali (and Win-KeX) without installing additional software.
Kali is a rolling Linux distribution, meaning as soon as we have an update, we ship it. Would-be users have a variety of images to choose from. For more information, please see Which Image Should I Download? and Kali Branches. For most users, we recommend the latest “point release” image below, except in cases when a user requires a specific bug patch, in which case the weekly build may be best.
We generate fresh Kali Linux image files every quarter. These become the official "point" releases. These images are tested and subsequently announced with a blog post.
Installation DocumentationOur previous Kali Linux's releases.
Complete offline installation with customization
Untested images with the latest updates
All packages are downloaded during installation
Image for air-gapped networks
Untested images with the latest updates
Complete offline installation with customization
All packages are downloaded during installation
Untested images with the latest updates
Complete offline installation with customization
All packages are downloaded during installation
Q.)
What’s the differences between: Installer? NetInstaller? Everything? Weekly? Live?
Q.)
How to download Kali Linux images securely?
Q.)
Can I still download the mini image?
Feeling a little more adventurous? Want to build the latest version of Kali? Want to customize your ISO by adding more tools or change the default settings? Looking for something other than Xfce, GNOME or KDE like Enlightenment, i3mw, LXDE or MATE? Then this is the option for you.
Kali Purple DocumentationFeeling red? Feeling blue? Kali Purple: You do You!
A movement to make enterprise grade security accessible to everyone.
Complete offline installation with customization
Untested images with the latest updates
Kali Linux VMware & VirtualBox images are available for users who prefer, or whose specific needs require a virtual machine installation.
These images have the default credentials "kali/kali".
Virtual Machines DocumentationVagrant is a tool for building and managing virtual machine environments. With a single configuration file, you can download a base “box” and apply additional configurations like adding an additional network interface, setting the number of CPU cores and memory, or running a script on first boot.
Feeling a little more adventurous? Want to build the latest version of Kali? Want to customize your VM by selecting a different desktop environment, add more tools, change the default settings? Then this is the option for you.
Are you looking for Kali Linux ARM images? We have generated flavours of Kali using the same build infrastructure as the official Kali releases for ARM architecture.
These images have a default credentials of "kali/kali".
Kali NetHunter Pro is the official Kali Linux build for mobile devices such as the Pine64 PinePhone and PinePhone Pro.
sudo dd if=IMAGE.img of=/dev/[DEVICE] bs=1M status=progress conv=fsync
The Kali NetHunter project is the first Open-source Android penetration testing platform for Android devices, allowing for access to the Kali toolset from various supported Android devices. There are multiple unique features not possible on other hardware platforms.
The Kali NetHunter interface allows you to easily work with complex configuration files through a local web interface. This feature, together with a custom kernel that supports 802.11 wireless injection and preconfigured connect back VPN services, make the Kali NetHunter a formidable network security tool or discrete drop box - with Kali Linux at the tip of your fingers wherever you are!
Want to see Kali NetHunter progress? Look at the stats page, to see if your device is supported yet.
Kali Cloud images can quickly be deployed in multiple different cloud provider’s infrastructures. This allows easy access to a Kali install in a modern environment with strong hardware resources. These are often used for short term Kali installs that are quick to deploy and quick to tear down.
Run in any virtualized environment
Run in any virtualized environment
Using Container technology such as Docker and LXC/LXD, our Kali containers allow you access to the Kali toolset on your host operating system without the overhead of running an additional full operating system. This does come with limitations, as you won’t have direct hardware access and dealing with inbound connections to tools running in the Kali container can be complicated.
A Kali Linux Live image on a CD/DVD/USB/PXE can allow you to have access to a full bare metal Kali install without needing to alter an already-installed operating system. This allows for quick easy access to the Kali toolset with all the advantages of a bare metal install. There are some drawbacks, as disk operations may slow due to the utilized storage media.
For most users, we recommend the latest “point release” image below, except in cases when a user requires a specific bug patch, in which case the weekly build may be best.
Untested images with the latest updates
Point release live image
Image for air-gapped networks
Point release live image
Untested images with the latest updates
Point release live image
Untested images with the latest updates
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a software package on modern Windows installs that allow you to run Linux alongside your Windows system in an optimized container. The Kali WSL package allows easy access to the Kali toolset. This comes with the same drawbacks of a standard VM, but allows for less overhead and tighter integration with your Windows systems.
WSL DocumentationExperienced penetration testers and security professionals use and trust Kali Linux because we provide full transparency into the build scripts. Feel free to read, investigate, and change build scripts for any images below.