Welcome to our first release of 2018, Kali Linux 2018.1. This fine release contains all updated packages and bug fixes since our 2017.3 release last November. This release wasn’t without its challenges–from Meltdown and Spectre to a couple of other nasty bugs, we had our work cut out for us but we prevailed in time to deliver this latest and greatest version for your installation pleasure.
“Whether you’re new to the fight, or a seasoned pro, don’t stop training…”
This statement, like the video that introduced it, has real punch. We did this on purpose to get you fired up, excited about your training, and to kickstart your journey. If it worked, and you’re in the fight, welcome aboard! If you haven’t jumped in for whatever reason, we want to introduce you to the plethora of resources we’ve made available to help you master Kali Linux, the penetration testing distribution.
We’re always on the prowl for novel environments to run Kali on, and with the introduction of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) in Windows 10, new and exciting possibilities have surfaced. After all, if the WSL can support Ubuntu, it shouldn’t be too hard to incorporate another Debian-like distribution, right? This is especially true with the Windows Subsystem for Linux Distribution Switcher utility.
We are delighted to announce the immediate availability of Kali Linux 2017.3, which includes all patches, fixes, updates, and improvements since our last release. In addition to the new kernel and all of the updates and fixes we pull from Debian, we have also updated our packages for Reaver, PixieWPS, Burp Suite, Cuckoo, The Social Engineering Toolkit, and more.
Users often request the addition of vulnerability scanners to Kali, most notably the ones that begin with “N”, but due to licensing constraints, we do not include them in the distribution. Fortunately, Kali includes the very capable OpenVAS, which is free and open source. Although we briefly covered OpenVAS in the past, we decided to devote a more thorough post to its setup and how to use it more effectively.
Recently, Mathy Vanhoef of imec-DistriNet, KU Leuven, discovered a serious weakness in WPA2 known as the Key Reinstallation AttaCK (or KRACK) attack. Their overview, Key Reinstallation Attacks: Breaking WPA2 by forcing nonce reuse, and research paper (Key Reinstallation Attacks: Forcing Nonce Reuse in WPA2, co-authored by Frank Piessens) have created quite a stir in our industry because the press touts that it “breaks Wi-Fi”.
