Kali Linux Comes to Windows
The Kali Linux developers even managed to run full blown XFCE desktop via WSL.
Kali Linux, a penetration testing distro that you may have seen in Mr. Robot, is now available in Windows Store. The Kali Linux team has been working with the Microsoft WSL team to bring the distro to the platform that still dominates the PC landscape. By doing so, Kali has brought some of the best penetration testing tools to the biggest PC user-base.
“This is especially exciting news for penetration testers and security professionals who have limited toolsets due to enterprise compliance standards,” wrote Mati Aharoni, lead Kali developer, in a blog post.
At the end of last year, Microsoft took WSL out of beta, making it available for every Windows 10 user for the latest Fall Creators Update. Users can simply go to Windows Store and install their preferred Linux distro just like any other app. Initially only Ubuntu, openSUSE Leap and SUSE Linux Enterprise were available, but the WSL team is working with different distros to bring them to the store.
Officially on command line Linux utilities are available through WSL, as the target audience is developers and sysadmins who want to write or deploy applications for Linux machines running on Cloud. That didn’t stop the Linux community from running GUI applications through WSL. In fact, even the Kali Linux team managed to run full blown XFCE desktop.
Running Linux distros under WSL has its own shortcomings. Your system is as secure as is Windows 10. However, the Kali Linux team sees some great possibilities too, “While running Kali on Windows has a few drawbacks to running it natively (such as the lack of raw socket support), it does bring in some very interesting possibilities, such as extending your security toolkit to include a whole bunch of command line tools that are present in Kali.”
Being able to run Linux inside of Windows 10 gives developers native access to tools from both worlds.
Issue 260/2022
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
System76 Teams up with HP to Create the Dev One Laptop
HP and System76 have come together to develop a new laptop, powered by Pop!_OS and aimed toward developers.
-
Titan Linux is a New KDE Linux Based on Debian Stable
Titan Linux is a new Debian-based Linux distribution that features the KDE Plasma desktop with a focus on usability and performance.
-
Danielle Foré Has an Update for elementary OS 7
Now that Ubuntu 22.04 has been released, the team behind elementary OS is preparing for the upcoming 7.0 release.
-
Linux New Media Launches Open Source JobHub
New job website focuses on connecting technical and non-technical professionals with organizations in open source.
-
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 Now Available
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 has been released with all the additions from upstream as well as other features and improvements.
-
Pop!_OS 22.04 Has Officially Been Released
From the makers of some of the finest Linux-powered desktop and laptop computers on the market comes the latest version of their Ubuntu-based distribution, Pop!_OS 22.04.
-
Star Labs Unveils a New Small Format Linux PC
The Byte Mk I is an AMD-powered mini Linux PC with Coreboot support and plenty of power.
-
MX Linux Verison 21.1 “Wildflower” Now Available
The latest release of the systemd-less MX Linux is now ready for public consumption.
-
Microsoft Expands Their Windows Subsystem for Linux Offerings With AlmaLinux
Anyone who works with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) will now find a new addition to the available distributions, one that’s become the front-runner replacement for CentOS.
-
Debian 11.3 Released wIth Numerous Bug and Security Fixes
The latest point release for Debian Bullseye is now available with some very important updates.