What is kali linux?

Kali Linux (formerly known as BackTrack Linux) is an open-source, Debian-based Linux distribution aimed at advanced Penetration Testing and Security Auditing. Kali Linux contains several hundred tools targeted towards various information security tasks, such as Penetration Testing, Security Research, Computer Forensics and Reverse Engineering. Kali Linux is a multi platform solution, accessible and freely available to information security professionals and hobbyists.

Kali Linux was released on the 13th March 2013 as a complete, top-to-bottom rebuild of BackTrack Linux, adhering completely to Debian development standards.

Official Website

Why use kali linux?

If you are interested in penetration testing or cybersecurity you need some specific tools to perform some tasks which come pre-installed and settled up in Kali Linux so you may directly use them without doing any configuration. Or in case if one wants to check the vulnerabilities on a website or want to know security-related bugs in any application then it is great to go with Kali Linux.

Many people think that Kali is a tool for hacking or cracking social accounts or web servers. This is one of the biggest myths about Kali Linux. Kali Linux is just another Debian distribution with a bunch of networking and security tools. It is a weapon to train or defend yourself not to attack anyone. Kali Linux was designed mainly for professionals. It is for those who want to get their hands in Penetration Testing, Cyber Security, or Ethical Hacking. It is a powerful tool and in case, not used properly, it may lead to losses even.

Advantages:

• It has 600+ Penetration testing and network security tools pre-installed.
• It is completely free and open source. So you can use it for free and even contribute for its development.
• It supports many languages.
• Great for those who are intermediate in linux and have their hands on Linux commands.
• Could be easily used with Raspberry Pi.