Kali Linux

Overview

Kali Linux is a Debian-based distribution maintained by OffSec (formerly Offensive Security) with hundreds of tools for penetration testing, digital forensics, reverse engineering, and red teaming. Use Kali as a disposable lab environment — VM snapshots, Docker containers, or WSL2 — never as a daily driver. Tools are organized into Kali Metapackages (e.g., kali-tools-top10, kali-tools-wireless, kali-tools-web) so you install only what you need.

Instructions

Step 1: Install Kali

# Docker (fastest for CTF and quick work); the image ships almost no tools
docker run -it --rm kalilinux/kali-rolling
# Inside the container (you are root, no sudo needed):
apt update && apt install -y kali-linux-headless
# kalilinux/kali-last-release tracks the last point release instead of rolling