Get Started with Kali

Why use Kali ?

Kali is a distribution of Linux built by hackers for hackers. This doesn't mean that you cannot use any other operating system. You can get the same work done on a Windows machine, and even an Apple computer. However, Kali comes loaded with almost all of the necessary tools to get started right out of the gate.Install the VM on your machine.

Virtual Machines

A virtual machine is just that, a virtual computer on your computer. Using a Virtual Machine ( VM ) allows you to run an entirely different operating system while continuing to use your main computer. There are numerous other reason including security as to why you should use a VM. But convenience is the simplest.

Installing a Virtual Machine

The biggest names in VM's are VirtualBox, and VMWare. They both provide free solutions, and have alot of the same functionality. The steps for installing a VMWare are as follows:

1. Choose a VM ( https://www.vmware.com/ or https://www.virtualbox.org/ ).

2. Download the correct version for your operating system.

3. Install.

That's really it.

Installing Kali

There are a few different ways to install Kali however, I recommend using an ISO file from the Kali website https://www.kali.org/downloads/. The ISO download is the top most file titled Kali Linux 64-Bit (Installer).

Once that's completed it's download spin up your VM. Select to start a new machine. The options will guide you through choosing a file for your OS. This is where the ISO file you downloaded will go. Following that will be questions about allocating disk space and memory. My recommendation is ~30GB disk space and 4GB of RAM, if you can spare it.

The next steps will actually open up the Kali OS installer in the virtual environment. It'll consist some installation options ( the defaults are fine ), and creating a username and password. If you don't select them the defaults are kali / kali.

Finalizing Kali

Congratulations! At this point you should have a working Kali installation on a virtual machine. There are a few more things to wrap up. At this point we need to grab the latest updates for Kali so open up a terminal and write the following:

root@kali:~$ sudo apt update

After that is completed we'll need to install utilities for working inside our VM:

root@kali:~$ sudo apt install open-vm-tools-desktop

When prompted about disk space, choose yes and hit enter.

And that's it! You're all set up for using Kali Linux on your virutal machine.Kali is a Linux distribution designed by hackers, for hackers. There is really no specific reason to use Kali other than it comes pre-baked with almost all necessary tools for ethical hacking.