Tag: pc

KALI LINUX

Kali Linux Features

What is Kali Linux, and what is a Penetration Testing Distribution?

What is a penetration testing distribution? As legend tells it, years ago there was a penetration test in an isolated environment where the assessment team was not able to bring in any computers or have network access in or out of the target environment. In order to do the work, the first penetration testing distribution was born. It was a bootable Live CD configured with various tools needed to do the work, and after the assessment was completed the Live CD was shared online and became very popular.

Kali Linux has a direct lineage from this original distribution, running on through Backtrack Linux, and now is Kali Linux.

What are the makings of a great penetration testing distribution? What a penetration testing distribution is judged on has changed over the years. Originally it was just how many tools did it hold. Then it was did it have package management, and how often were they updated? As we have matured, so has the features that we need to provide. The true indication of a great Penetration Testing distribution is the selection of useful and relevant features that it offers security professionals. What kind of features are we talking about? We’re happy you asked! We’ve made a short list of some of these Kali Linux features, and linked them to their respective sources.

Special Kali Linux Features of Note

  • Full customisation of Kali ISOs. With the use of meta packages optimized for specific need sets of a security professional and a highly accessible ISO customization process a optimized version of Kali for your specific needs is always easy to generate. Kali Linux is heavily integrated with live-build, allowing endless flexibility in customizing and tailoring every aspect of your Kali Linux ISO images. This can be shown with our basic example build recipes, to our Kali ISO of doom recipe, which shows the types and complexity of customizations possible – build a self installing, reverse VPN auto-connecting, network bridging Kali image – for the perfect hardware backdoor.
  • Live USB Boot. This allows you to place Kali onto a USB device, and boot without touching the host operating system (perfect also for any forensics work!). With optional persistence volume(s) you can have opt to pick what file system to use when Kali starts up allowing for files to be saved in between sessions, creating multiple profiles. Each persistence volume can be encrypted essential feature needed in our industry. If that is not enough, we also have LUKS nuke option, allowing you to quickly control the destruction of data.
  • Kali Undercover. Using Kali in an environment you don’t want to draw attention to yourself? Kali Undercover is perfect to not stand out in a crowd by blending to a familiar operating system that most people recognize to stop shoulder surfers.
  • Win-Kex. Using Kali on WSL? This provides a Kali Desktop Experience for Windows Subsystem for Linux, with seamless windows, clipboard sharing, audio support and more.
  • Kali NetHunter. Kali on your (Android) phone. This covers multiple items, such as a ROM overlay for multiple devices, NetHunter App, as well as NetHunter App Store. On top of this, you also boot into a “full desktop” using chroot & containers, as well as “Kali NetHunter Desktop Experience (Kex)”.
  • Kali Everywhere. A version of Kali is always close to you no matter where you need it. Let it be; ARM, Bare Metal, Cloud (AWS, Azure), Containers (Docker, LXD), Virtual Machines (VirtualBox, VMware), WSL, and so on – is all available.
  • Kali ARM. Supporting over a dozen different ARM devices and common hardware such as Raspberry Pi, Odroid, Beaglebone, and more. We offer pre-generated images, ready to be used as well as build-scripts to produce more. We’re very active in the ARM arena and constantly add new interesting hardware to our repertoire.
  • The industry standard. Kali Linux is the undisputed industry standard Open-source penetration testing platform.
  • For more features of Kali Linux, please see the following page: What is Kali Linux?.

Want to learn more about the Kali Linux Operating System?

  • Download Kali Linux. the most advanced penetration testing platform ever made. Available in 32-bit, 64-bit, and ARM flavors, as well as a number of specialized builds for many popular hardware platforms. Kali can always be updated to the newest version without the need for a new download.
  • Kali Documentation. Whether you are a seasoned veteran or a novice – our Kali Linux documentation site will have something you need to know about Kali Linux.
  • Kali Community. Kali Linux, with its Backtrack lineage, has a vibrant and active community. With active Kali forums, IRC Channel, Kali Tools listings, an open bug tracker system and community provided tool suggestions – there are many ways for you to get involved in Kali Linux today. Joining the community is easy – don’t hesitate; jump right in!

TEAM VIEWER

TeamViewer is remote access and remote control computer software, allowing maintenance of computers and other devices. It was first released in 2005,  and its functionality has expanded step by step. TeamViewer is proprietary software, but does not require registration and is free of charge for non-commercial use. It has been installed on more than two billion devices. TeamViewer is the core product of developer TeamViewer AG.

Rossmanith GmbH released the first version of TeamViewer software in 2005, at that time still based on the VNC project. The IT service provider wanted to avoid unnecessary trips to customers and perform tasks such as installing software remotely. The development was very successful and gave rise to TeamViewer GmbH, which today operates as TeamViewer Germany GmbH and is part of TeamViewer AG.

TeamViewer is available for all desktop computers with common operating systems, including Microsoft Windows and Windows Server, as well as Apple’s macOS. There are also packages for several Linux distributions and derivatives, for example, Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, and Fedora Linux. Besides, there is Raspberry Pi OS, a Debian variant for the Raspberry Pi.

TeamViewer is also available for smartphones and tablets running Android or Apple’s iOS/iPad OS operating system. Support for Windows Phone and Windows Mobile has been phased out after Microsoft discontinued support for the two operating systems.

The functionality of TeamViewer differs depending on the device and variant or version of the software. The core of TeamViewer is remote access to computers and other endpoints as well as their control and maintenance. After the connection is established, the remote screen is visible to the user at the other endpoint. Both endpoints can send and receive files as well as access a shared clipboard, for example. Besides, some functions facilitate team collaboration, such as audio and video transmissions via IP telephony.

In recent years, the functionality of the software has been optimized in particular for use in large companies. For this purpose, the enterprise variant TeamViewer Tensor was developed. With TeamViewer Pilot, TeamViewer sells software for remote support with augmented reality elements. TeamViewer offers interfaces to other applications and services, for example from Microsoft(Teams), Salesforce, and ServiceNow. The solution is available in nearly all countries and supports over 30 languages.

Incoming and outgoing connections are equally possible via the Internet or local networks. If desired, TeamViewer can run as a Windows system service, which allows unattended access via TeamViewer. There is also a portable version of the software that runs completely without installation, for example via a USB data carrier.

The connection is established using automatically generated unique IDs and passwords. Before each connection, the TeamViewer network servers check the validity of the IDs of both endpoints. Security is enhanced by the fingerprint, which allows users to provide additional proof of the remote device’s identity. Passwords are protected against brute force attacks, especially by increasing the waiting time between connection attempts exponentially. TeamViewer provides additional security features, such as two-factor authentication, block and allow lists.