Kali Linux 1.0 Release Moto – Kali Linux’s Birth

Kali Linux is on the rise

We’ve been around since the first version 7 years ago. It has been an exciting ride. BackTrack 6 was almost a year old when the developers started discussing it. Each of us had a list of “wish lists” we wanted to see implemented in our next version.

It’s time to throw it all away and start over

We quickly realized that our four-year old development architecture was not going to allow us to reach these new goals. So, we completely restructured. It was easier to begin anew using new technologies and process than trying to fix up the existing environment in order to comply with Debian policies. The next question was posed by this realization:

Ubuntu vs. Debian

After realizing that we were freed from our previous environment’s bonds, we began to think about which base platform would be best for our next penetration test distribution. The main players in our discussion were Debian (and Ubuntu). After carefully considering each option and avoiding philosophical debates on the pros and cons, Debian became our last choice.

Are there Offensive Security Courses?

Amazingly, despite all of the changes made to Kali’s user interface, it is still very similar. Our students shouldn’t notice any differences between Kali or BackTrack, except for a few path changes that are required by FHS.

Is there a /pentest for me?

Gone. Kaput. Kwisha. Dissipated. FSH compliance removed the /pentest structure form our distribution. The /pentest directory tree has been a hallmark of previous distributions over many years. However, this structure always raised policy questions that could not be answered. What tool should be in /pentest? And what place should it go in $PATH? A tool such as “sqlmap”, for example, should it be located in the $PATH? It should be located in /pentest/web or /pentest/database. There’s no need to guess with our FSH-compliant packages. All is clearly visible and easily accessible, just as it should.

Kali Linux: What’s in the name?

Hindu goddess of change and time? Philippine martial art? Swahili: Cool word? None of these. We just chose “Kali” as the name for our new distribution. Why would you change your name? We felt the need to communicate this through our project name, given all of these changes in distribution. BackTrack 6 didn’t reflect our past year’s efforts and would not convey our message to users. Is there a new message? Let us help you discover the truth.