The most advanced Penetration Testing Distribution

Basic Questions Megathread

2026-05-31T21:00:29+00:00

Here, users who are new to Kali Linux can ask basic questions about it and its functionality and receive assistance regarding potential issues they are facing. Please remember to follow the subreddit rules when asking your questions.

Before posting, make sure you have reviewed Kali's Documentation, as the answer may be well-documented. Additionally, please refer to the following articles to ensure you ask proper and high-quality questions:

Please remember that while AI/LLM models like ChatGPT can be useful, they are not a substitute for proper troubleshooting. When seeking assistance, it's important to refer to the documentation of the tool, program, or OS you're using and to use your preferred search engine for further research.

This megathread will be posted monthly.

submitted by /u/AutoModerator
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Kali & LLM: Completely local with Ollama & 5ire | Kali Linux Blog

2026-03-16T17:55:22+00:00

submitted by /u/Arszilla
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Error installing kernel

2026-06-04T06:46:42+00:00

Hi everyone, I am having trouble installing/updating the kernel in Kali Linux
My current kernel is :6.6.15-amd64
I want to install last kernel (update)
I have problems …
See on pics
The errors
Any help to resolve this issue would be greatly appreciated!

submitted by /u/T3slaVortex9X
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Syscall from in kali

2026-06-04T14:23:31+00:00

Ok so I have a more involved networking project in C, it works great on all major linux distros and windows too, I've ran it on a newer release of Kali (2026.1) and observed a very weird issue. When I started investigating I've found that calls to time(NULL) from different files yield 2 different results (~7 hour difference always). I use gcc and compile with gnu89 flag.

PS: it runs ok on older versions of Kali (2025.1).

The question: how is this possible? what could be causing this?

submitted by /u/random_digits_99
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forget about kali as daily driver, I raise you kali as a server

2026-06-03T03:02:10+00:00

submitted by /u/thoheatot
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[Build] Custom Overclocked 2.7GHz Pi 5 Cyberdeck | Dual-Fan Active Cooling | ZRAM + External NVMe Boot

2026-06-02T00:16:59+00:00

Wanted to share my latest portable build — a rugged, high-performance field node designed for heavy workloads without breaking a sweat.

The whole system is housed in a custom rugged enclosure finished with a UV-reactive neon splatter paint job that really pops under blacklight.

Hardware & OS Setup

I’m running full Kali Linux on a portable touchscreen setup, with a clean LightDM login environment.

Instead of using a MicroSD card, the system boots entirely from a 128GB M.2 NVMe SSD in a USB 3.0 enclosure, giving it proper desktop-class responsiveness and strong random read/write performance over the 5 Gbps bus.

To keep memory pressure under control, I’ve enabled ZRAM compression, so inactive memory gets compressed in RAM instead of constantly hitting swap. It keeps things smooth even under load.

Cooling & Overclocking

To support a stable overclock, I built a dual-stage cooling setup inside the case:

Primary low-profile heatsink + fan directly over the SoC and power management
Secondary side-mounted exhaust fan to actively pull hot air out of the enclosure

This creates constant airflow across the board and keeps thermals stable even under sustained load.

Stress Testing

Under a synthetic multi-threaded stress test (stress-ng), the system holds up solid:

Clock speed: ~2.7 GHz stable
Temperature: ~65°C under full load
Thermal throttling threshold: ~80°C+

The dual-fan setup keeps it well within safe thermal headroom even during sustained workloads.

Wrap-up

Overall goal was a compact, durable field system that behaves more like a mini workstation than a typical SBC setup — fast storage, controlled thermals, and stable performance under load.

Curious what others think about the build or the aesthetic direction.

submitted by /u/Background-Ad1610
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Kali as ETH environment but, also as a main linux distro?

2026-06-02T11:43:53+00:00

Hey guys, I'm new to the subredit, and here's my thing: so I knlw that kali is well prepared for hacking and comes with a bunch of installed things specifically for that, but I'm wondering, how reliable is to use Kali linux for ethical hacking and also as a development/study environment? Such as, web apps, programming, in vs code or any other IDE

Cause I must say, I'm fairly new to hakcking and I've heard that sometimes it's more recommended to use a kali linux VM for hacking? Would that be for comfortability or security issues?

Anyways tysm guys for reading, hope you have a nice day ;)

submitted by /u/TongXingLianMao
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Enabling Synaptics 06cb:00be Fingerprint Sensor on Kali Linux

2026-05-30T22:28:00+00:00

TL;DR Automated Script: syna-tudor-kali.sh (Gist)

Context

The Synaptics sensor (USB ID 06cb:00be, common in Lenovo ThinkPad L14/L15 Gen 1) lacks upstream libfprint support because it uses a proprietary protocol with on-device firmware (BMKT/Tudor). Adding the PID to standard libfprint fails during firmware initialization.

The Fix: Install libfprint-tod (Touch OEM Drivers fork) alongside synaTudor, which dynamically relinks the Windows driver DLLs to run on Linux.

Installation

1. Install Dependencies

Bash

sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install -y \ libusb-1.0-0-dev libglib2.0-dev libpixman-1-dev \ libnss3-dev libssl-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev \ libgirepository1.0-dev meson ninja-build \ gobject-introspection gtk-doc-tools git \ libgusb-dev libgudev-1.0-dev libudev-dev \ innoextract libcap-dev libseccomp-dev \ libdbus-1-dev libjson-glib-dev

2. Build libfprint-tod

Bash

git clone --branch tod --depth=1 https://github.com/craigcabrey/libfprint-tod.git ~/libfprint-tod cd ~/libfprint-tod meson setup build --prefix=/usr -Dudev_rules=disabled -Dudev_hwdb=disabled ninja -C build sudo ninja -C build install sudo ldconfig

3. Build synaTudor

Bash

git clone https://github.com/Popax21/synaTudor.git ~/synaTudor cd ~/synaTudor

Required Patch: Before building, edit libfprint-tod/meson.build to fix udev dependencies:

Change udev_dep = dependency('udev') → udev_dep = dependency('udev', required: false)
Change install_dir: udev_dep.get_variable(pkgconfig: 'udevdir') → install_dir: udev_rules_dir

Build and Install:

Bash

meson setup build ninja -C build sudo ninja -C build install sudo ldconfig

4. Enable Services & Enroll

Bash

# Start required services sudo systemctl enable --now tudor-host-launcher sudo systemctl restart fprintd # Enroll fingerprint (swipe multiple times as prompted) fprintd-enroll # Verify enrollment fprintd-verify

Troubleshooting

"No devices available": * Verify tudor-host-launcher.service is running: systemctl status tudor-host-launcher
- Restart fprintd: sudo systemctl restart fprintd
- Check logs: journalctl -u fprintd -u tudor-host-launcher --no-pager -n 50
"Failed to start Tudor host process": Reinstall synaTudor (sudo ninja -C ~/synaTudor/build uninstall && sudo ninja -C ~/synaTudor/build install), then reboot.
Sensor not detected (corrupt Windows driver): The build process auto-downloads the Windows driver. If it failed, rebuild: cd ~/synaTudor && rm -rf build && meson setup build && ninja -C build && sudo ninja -C build install
Slow wake from suspend: The sensor requires 5–20 seconds to reinitialize after wake.

Architecture Breakdown

Component	Function
`libfprint-tod`	Fork of libfprint that supports loading external Touch OEM Drivers (TOD) from `/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libfprint-2/tod-1/`.
`libtudor`	Core library. Loads the Windows driver DLLs (`synaFpAdapter104.dll`, `synaWudfBioUsb104.dll`) and provides Windows API stubs.
`tudor-host`	Sandboxed process executing the relinked Windows driver.
`tudor-host-launcher`	Systemd service managing `tudor-host` processes to bypass fprintd sandboxing restrictions.
`libtudor_tod.so`	The libfprint TOD module bridging fprintd to `tudor-host`.

*(Credits: Popax21 for synaTudor reverse engineering, Marco Trevisan/3v1n0 for libfprint-tod, and nmikhailov for Validity90 community documentation).

submitted by /u/Puzzled_Advertising8
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Wanna learn cybersecurity & ethical hacking

2026-05-29T16:55:44+00:00

Hello everyone 👋🏼,
I have experience using Linux, Windows, and macOS, although I’ve primarily worked with Windows. Recently, I’ve decided to start learning cybersecurity and ethical hacking.
I’m considering installing Kali Linux and setting it up in a dual-boot configuration alongside Windows. However, I’m open to other recommendations if there are better distributions or approaches for beginners.
I’d appreciate guidance on the following:
Is Kali Linux the right choice for someone starting cybersecurity and ethical hacking?
Would you recommend another Linux distribution instead?
Best practices and precautions before setting up a dual-boot system.
A step-by-step guide or useful resources for dual-boot installation.
Common mistakes to avoid during the installation process.
Essential tools and software I should learn first.
A beginner-to-advanced cybersecurity learning roadmap.
Recommended free courses, labs, and practice platforms.
Resources for learning networking, Linux fundamentals, penetration testing, and web security.
Any certifications worth considering after building a solid foundation.
Any advice, learning resources, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! 🙌🏼

submitted by /u/dugu007
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Kali text corruption

2026-05-25T12:33:40+00:00

One day I was just chillin and thought 💡 let me update kali linux. I came back after the update to see that all this Wierd English-but-coruppted text had appeared everywhere and I had to reset my locales. Anybody know why that happens?

submitted by /u/Available_Extreme130
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I built a React Native mobile GUI for Kali Linux – run pentest tools from your phone with a terminal, tool library, and command history [OC]

2026-05-21T21:39:29+00:00

Hey r/kalilinux,

I've been working on a side project for the past few weeks – a React Native Android app

that gives you a proper mobile GUI for Kali Linux pentest tools.

**What it does:**

- 130+ tools across 12 categories (Recon, Web, Exploitation, Post-Exploitation,

Wireless, Password Attacks, Sniffing, Forensics, OSINT, Reporting, Reverse Eng…)

- Each tool has a dedicated screen with flag builder – pick your flags,

set the target, hit Run. No memorizing syntax.

- Live terminal with real-time output streaming

- Command history with search

- Tool Library – browse all tools, full descriptions, flag references

- **Custom Tool Scanner** – scans what's actually installed on your Kali box,

lets you install missing packages (apt) and add any tool to the app in 3 steps

(runs `--help`, auto-detects flags, saves to Custom Tools)

- Dark UI, works on any Android 8.0+

**How it connects:**

The app talks to a small Python WebSocket bridge (`kali-bridge.py`) running on your

Kali machine. No cloud, no account, no AI nonsense – just a local bridge over SSH tunnel

or LAN. The bridge executes commands and streams output back.

**Also made a NetHunter variant** (`nethunter-gui`) – same app but adapted for Termux

on Android with NetHunter-specific tools: HID keyboard/mouse attacks, DuckHunter

(Ducky Script payloads), hostapd-wpe rogue AP, Frida/Objection for mobile app analysis,

BTLEJack for BLE hijacking, Wifite2, Bettercap, and the same tool scanner but pointed

at the proot/chroot environment.

**Repo:**

https://github.com/notconnector/kali-mobile-gui

Would love honest feedback – what's missing, what's broken, what would you actually

use day-to-day? Roast it if you have to, I'd rather fix it than not know.

submitted by /u/RudeDimension8047
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Can't ssh to a Pi Tail (on a pi zero 2 w)

2026-05-21T16:13:42+00:00

Heyo,
This may be a dumb question, but after following the tutorial on kali org about Pi Tail installation on a Pi Zero 2 W, I'm not able to ssh onto the device.
The hotspot is setup and the device itself does connect to it, but it does not request nor have an ip, so when trying to ssh, it obviously doesn't connect.

(During the attempt both Mobile Data and Wifi were turned off and the hotspod was set to 2.4 GHz with the correct SSID and password)

I may be missing something and any help would be greatly appreciated!

submitted by /u/Sad-Ad938
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My soul left my body after GRUB Disappeared. Kernel 6.19 update nuked my GRUB on dual boot

2026-05-21T09:02:17+00:00

I have a MSI laptop where I have dual-booted Kali Linux and Windows. After upgrading to kernel 6.19.14+kali-amd64, my Kali dual boot completely broke and GRUB disappeared.

MSI logo would flash -> keyboard RGB reset->instant Windows boot

Initially I thought it was because of windows update, I switched off fast boot, checked bios hierarchy and everything was fine. Kali was still above windows in BIOS. Then I tried bcdedit commands from windows cmd, it showed success but didn't worked either. Upon restart I spammed f11 to enter one-time boot menu, it showed kali was there along with windows but even after hitting kali, I was not able to boot into it and my motherboard switched to the next valid partition of windows.

This never happened with earlier kernel versions as I used to switch to windows couple of times for gaming. So I figured out that the new kernel 6.19.14+kali-amd64 must have messed up the EFI or something.

So below I will try to give a point wise solution of how I managed to assume and fixed the problem.

1)Booted into Kali Live USB → “Live System”

then upon live terminal I used

2)sudo fdisk -l

and I found

/dev/nvme0n1p1 EFI System

/dev/nvme0n1p5 Linux filesystem

/dev/nvme0n1p6 Linux swap

This confirmed:

Kali installation still existed
EFI partition still existed
filesystem was likely intact

Then I mounted root partition

3)sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1p5 /mnt

and verified the existing files using

ls /mnt

/boot, /home, /etc, /usr

This confirmed the installation was healthy.

4)Mount EFI Partition

sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt/boot/efi

then verified efi directories

ls /mnt/boot/efi/EFI

which gave Boot, Kali and Microsoft

this means that EFI partition was not corrupted

5) Bind System Directories

sudo mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev

sudo mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc

sudo mount --bind /sys /mnt/sys

sudo mount --bind /run /mnt/run

6) Chroot Into Installed Kali

sudo chroot /mnt

7)Reinstall GRUB

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=kali

Despite EFI warnings, installation completed successfully.

8)Regenerate GRUB Config

update-grub

This detected kali kernels and windows boot manager which is a very good sign that you are on track.

9)Rebuild Initramfs

update-initramfs -u -k all

This regenerated initramfs for:

6.19
6.16
6.12 kernels

10)Now this step is crucial as to avoid the current issue from happening again in future.

MSI EFI Fallback

Created fallback EFI bootloader path manually

mkdir -p /boot/efi/EFI/Boot

cp /boot/efi/EFI/kali/grubx64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi

This is extremely important for MSI laptops because many MSI BIOS especially the one I have(Titan GT-77 Hx) versions ignore Linux EFI entries after updates but still checks for

EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi

11)Then simply Reboot

Exited chroot and rebooted.(enter exit and then sudo reboot or sudo poweroff)

Removed USB during reboot(as soon as msi logo flashed)

Kali booted successfully again.

I’m posting this because I was VERY close to reinstalling the entire OS thinking the partition was dead. I was so scared because of all the data in Kali.

If your Linux partitions still mount, your data is probably safe.

Also
KEEP OLDER KERNELS INSTALLED. My older kernels probably saved me here.

Thanks for reading

submitted by /u/Present-Campaign-920
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MDM/Hypervisor issue broke my Kali USB passthrough so I switched to a Live USB

2026-05-16T14:34:18+00:00

I’m new to Linux and cybersecurity labs and ran into an interesting issue today. My personal Windows 11 laptop is enrolled in my university’s MDM through Workplace Join, and after troubleshooting for hours I found out the hypervisor/VBS policies were apparently interfering with VirtualBox USB passthrough for my Alfa Wi-Fi adapter in Kali.

I kept getting firmware timeout issues and no wlan0 interface, so instead I made a Kali Live USB and honestly it worked way better immediately.

While messing around in Linux I also noticed an old “128GB” USB I had was only showing a 32GB partition in Kali after previously using it to hold Windows install files. Linux also gave me some input/output errors when mounting it, which confused me a bit.

I’m mostly trying to learn more about Linux, virtualization, partitions/filesystems, and how all this works under the hood. I was also curious if removing the university MDM from my personal machine would affect things like Respondus LockDown Browser or if those are unrelated.

Would appreciate any explanations, advice, or resources from people more experienced.

submitted by /u/Objective_Dish604
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Mouse cursor disappears inside Kali Linux VM on VMware Workstation — but works fine on Windows

2026-05-12T11:51:44+00:00

Hey everyone,

I'm running Kali Linux as a virtual machine on VMware Workstation on Windows. I downloaded the official Kali Linux VMware image, extracted it, and opened it — everything seems to load fine.

The problem: Once the Kali Linux desktop loads, my mouse cursor completely disappears whenever it's inside the VM window. I can still click and interact (I can see selections being made), but the cursor itself is invisible. As soon as I move the mouse outside the VM window back to Windows, the cursor shows up normally again.

My setup:

Host OS: Windows
VM Software: VMware Workstation
Guest OS: Kali Linux (official VMware image)

Has anyone run into this? Is it a VMware Tools issue or a display settings problem? Any fix would be appreciated!

submitted by /u/ORAAZ3700
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Weird mouse behavior if entered a restricted shell

2026-05-11T00:41:23+00:00

Setup: Linux 6.17.10+kali-arm64, VMware Fusion Professional Version 13.6.4, macOS Sequoia (15.6)

Currently studying and doing some cybersecurity labs about restricted shells (Linux privilege escalation). Using the default terminal for everything.

After SSHing into a box with a rbash and highlight the output (I was try to take notes), cursor still moves but can't click to open or close anything, including icons on the desktop and the top bar. Trying to drag to move the terminal window will result in creating that rectangle selector, underneath the terminal window layer, the one where you would normally use to select multiple items on the desktop. Keyboard can still be used.

This can be reproduced just by typing rbash in the terminal to enter one.

Force reboot Kali, force shut down Kali, or restart VMware won't help. The behavior still persists when logged in. The only way is to reboot my MacBook.

Edit: typo

submitted by /u/Obvious_Avocado_1029
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Solution Notification daemon notify xcfe

2026-05-06T20:24:31+00:00

Hello, I saw that there wasn't a solution for this kind of problem, so I'm giving you the solution.
It's Kex, so you need to type the following in the WSL terminal:

kex --win

After that, the Linux desktop will open. Go to:

- Settings in the top left corner (Linux logo)

- Autostart Session

and uncheck

xfce4-notifyd

Open your Linux system with kex, not xfce ;)

submitted by /u/MeRoZh
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Offset mouse

2026-05-04T20:21:27+00:00

Mouse offset

Hi,

Ive recently installed vmware 25H2u1 on my win 11 machine.

Ive installed the latest version of kali Linux, to use for my training course. When I dual screen, the mouse becomes offset which is really annoying, and when I switch back to one monitor, the mouse goes back to normal.

Has anyone had this issue before? And resolved it.

Thank you

submitted by /u/PrideProfessional954
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Basic Questions Megathread

2026-04-30T21:00:30+00:00

This megathread will be posted monthly.

submitted by /u/AutoModerator
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[REQUEST] NetHunter Kernel for Xiaomi Redmi 15 5G (spring) — Kernel Source Available

2026-04-30T10:31:41+00:00

Hey! I have a Xiaomi Redmi 15 5G (codename: spring) with OrangeFox, KSU Next + SUSFS already set up. Xiaomi officially released the kernel source (branch: spring-v-oss). I don't have a PC to compile it myself, so I'm looking for a developer willing to compile a NetHunter kernel for this device. I'm fully available for testing and providing logs. Any help is greatly appreciated!

submitted by /u/Severe_Day_7767
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Do you guys think the employees over at Flock Surveillance use Kali to pen test their own systems? Which tools and versions do you think they are getting surprising results with?

2026-04-29T01:27:01+00:00

My city approved a Flock contract a few months ago and I'm just trying to learn more about the company. Thanks! I know some Linux but I'm still a bit of a noob.

submitted by /u/Quirky-Reputation-89
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Installing Kali NetHunter on Redmi 9A(dandelion/blossom)

2026-04-28T19:20:40+00:00

Hi everyone, I am trying to install Kali NetHunter on my Redmi 9A M2006C3LG and I need a kernel that supports Wi-Fi injection, monitor mode and HID attacks BadUSB.

I have been searching for a long time but I have hit a wall. I found some NetHunter kernels on GitHub from 2019, but my AI assistant warned me that they are for older devices and will likely brick my phone since Redmi 9A was released in 2020. My current stock kernel is 4.9.190-perf-gd6489126e4e3 as shown in the attached screenshot.

I do not have any experience in compiling kernels from source and I do not understand how to make the versions match or find the right one. My goal is to use the full potential of NetHunter on this device.

Questions:

Is there a known working NetHunter-compatible kernel for dandelion that supports HID and external Wi-Fi?
Which external Wi-Fi adapters are best for this MediaTek Helio G25 chip if I find the right kernel?
Is it even possible to get BadUSB and monitor mode working on this specific model?

Thanks for any help.

submitted by /u/Historical_Total9929
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[RELEASE] Kali NetHunter + KernelSU-Next on Note 10 Plus (d2s) running LineageOS 23

2026-04-26T19:21:58+00:00

Need to share this, as I finally got a clean working build after every standard root path i tried failed (Magisk bootloops, KSU 0.9.5 hash mismatches, etc).

Working: root, SuSFS, NetHunter chroot, Wi-Fi monitor mode + injection (tested with RTL8814AU), USB HID/BadUSB.

Tested on: SM-N975F, LineageOS 23.2 microG, kernel 4.14.356-FrEeRuNnEr-v3.7-R3 + KernelSU-Next v3.2.0-legacy-susfs-v2.

Pre-built boot.img, full guide and troubleshooting for all the dead ends i hit:

https://github.com/pho5nix/d2s-los23-nethunter-kernel

Credits to Lordify97 (FreeRunner kernel), sidex15 (KSU-Next legacy-susfs-v2), linux4 (device trees).

PS: I am not a developer, just grinding and searching for my stubborn problems to resolve.

submitted by /u/GMCobra
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Is installing Nethunter on Android 15 the same as installing it on Android 16?

2026-04-25T03:27:25+00:00

I followed all the steps, I deactivated child process restrictions and still not working the emulation with nethunter kex (I have a tablet Samsung S10 FE).

I check the status with "kex status" I doesn't show me any session active

submitted by /u/xXD4RKN0T3Xx
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Galaxy S10 EOL?

2026-04-24T09:17:29+00:00

With the discontinuation of linux v4.14.y as an LTS release, that kernel version is no longer supported by systemd, essentially bricking apt whenever you try to upgrade the system in chroot. Are there any plans to fix this, or will the S10 be delisted from official support?

submitted by /u/Educational_Grab_280
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