Kali Linux 2020.2 Security Distribution Release Overview

By Riley ThompsonTechnology News

Kali Linux 2020.2 Security Distribution Release

The release of Kali Linux 2020.2, a distribution designed for security testing, auditing, forensic analysis, and investigating the aftermath of cyberattacks, has been announced. All original developments created within the distribution are released under the GPL license and are available through a public Git repository. Several ISO image options are available for download, sized at 425 MB, 2.8 GB, and 3.6 GB. Builds are provided for x86, x86_64, and ARM architectures (armhf and armel, Raspberry Pi, Banana Pi, ARM Chromebook, Odroid). By default, the Xfce desktop is offered, but KDE, GNOME, MATE, LXDE, and Enlightenment e17 are also supported as options.

Kali Linux includes one of the most comprehensive collections of tools for cybersecurity professionals: from utilities for web application testing and wireless network penetration to programs for reading data from RFID identification chips. The distribution comes with a collection of exploits and over 300 specialized security testing utilities, such as Aircrack, Maltego, SAINT, Kismet, Bluebugger, Btcrack, Btscanner, Nmap, and p0f. Additionally, the distribution includes tools for accelerating password (Multihash CUDA Brute Forcer) and WPA key (Pyrit) cracking by leveraging CUDA and AMD Stream technologies, allowing the use of NVIDIA and AMD GPUs for computational tasks.

What’s New in This Release

  • Updated KDE desktop appearance (Xfce and GNOME themes were redesigned in the previous release). Kali-specific dark and light themes are now available.
  • The kali-linux-large metapackage, offered during installation and setup, now includes the pwsh shell package, allowing PowerShell scripts to be run directly from Kali (PowerShell is not included in the default kali-linux-default package set).
  • Expanded ARM architecture support. Root account login is no longer used in ARM builds. The minimum SD card size requirement for installation has been increased to 16GB. The locales-all package is no longer installed; instead, locale settings are generated using sudo dpkg-reconfigure locales.
  • User feedback regarding the new installer has been addressed. The kali-linux-everything metapackage (which installs all repository packages) has been removed from installation options. The kali-linux-large set and all desktops are now cached in the installation image, allowing for a full installation without a network connection. Customization settings for live images have been removed; during installation, the base Xfce desktop content is simply copied, with no need for an internet connection.
  • Updated software versions, including GNOME 3.36, Joplin, Nextnet, Python 3.8, and SpiderFoot.

NetHunter 2020.2 Release

At the same time, the release of NetHunter 2020.2 was announced—a security testing environment for mobile devices based on the Android platform, featuring a suite of vulnerability assessment tools. NetHunter enables testing for attacks specific to mobile devices, such as emulating USB devices (BadUSB and HID Keyboard—emulating a network USB adapter for MITM attacks or a USB keyboard for keystroke injection) and creating rogue access points (MANA Evil Access Point).

NetHunter is installed in the standard Android environment as a chroot image running a specially adapted version of Kali Linux.

NetHunter 2020.2 Updates

  • Support for Nexmon wireless monitoring mode and frame injection for Nexus 6P, Nexus 5, and Sony Xperia Z5 Compact devices.
  • System images prepared for the OnePlus 3T device.
  • The number of Linux kernel build variants in the repository has reached 165, and the number of supported devices is now 64.

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