Kali Linux 2021.1 Released

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Kali Linux has released its first release of the year with 2021.1. The new release brings in several new features, new tools, and improvements. So let’s see what’s new in Kali Linux 2021.1.

Kali Linux

Kali Linux is a great Linux distribution for penetration testing. With the huge list of tools available in the repository, one can perform almost any test on a device or system.

What’s New In Kali Linux 2021.1

The new version includes package updates to their latest version, including the desktop environments Xfce and KDE. Kali Linux 2021.1 ships with Xfce 4.16 and KDE 5.20. The default desktop environment is Xfce, but Kali Linux can run almost any major desktop environment such as GNOME, KDE, LXDE, Englightenment, etc.

For more information on how to install a specific desktop environment in Kali Linux, please refer to this guide.

Command-Not-Found

If you use Ubuntu, then you’re already aware of this little feature. Whenever you run a command that is not available, the terminal returns a command to install the tool. Similarly, if you mistype a command, the terminal returns a suggestion with possibly a valid command.

Kali Linux 2021.1 now offers the same functionality. If you are ever lost, the terminal will save you a little time searching the package or command and directly through the necessary information.

New Partnerships & Tools

During the 2020.4 release, the Kali team partnered with byt3bl33d3r and continuing the same partnership, Kali Linux giving early access to Empire and StarKiller. The new partnership with Joohoi gives early access to ffuf‘s (Fuzz Faster U Fool) new features.

New Tools

And what is more useful than new tools? Kali Linux 2021.1 has a big list of new tools available in the repo, from auditing wireless network to searching git repositories for secrets and keys to HTTP parameter discovery tools.

  • Airgeddon – Audit wireless networks
  • AltDNS – Generates permutations, alterations and mutations of subdomains and then resolves them
  • Arjun – HTTP parameter discovery suite
  • Chisel – A fast TCP/UDP tunnel over HTTP
  • DNSGen – Generates combination of domain names from the provided input
  • DumpsterDiver – Search secrets in various filetypes
  • GetAllUrls – Fetch known URLs from AlienVault’s Open Threat Exchange, the Wayback Machine, and Common Crawl
  • GitLeaks – Searches Git repo’s history for secrets and keys
  • HTTProbe – Take a list of domains and probe for working HTTP and HTTPS servers
  • MassDNS – A high-performance DNS stub resolver for bulk lookups and reconnaissance
  • PSKracker – WPA/WPS toolkit for generating default keys/pins
  • WordlistRaider – Preparing existing wordlists

Kali Linux website is now powered by Huge

Kali Linux has moved their website kali.org from WordPress to Hugo. Hugo, written in GO, is known for creating fast static websites.

Kali Linux For Apple Silicon

In 2020, Apple announced its own processor called Apple Silicon. They have started the transition from Intel processor to Apple Silicon. Kali Linux has released an installer image and a live image to be run with VMs on Apple devices running on Apple Silicon.

Download Or Upgrade To Kali Linux 2021.1

Download

Upgrade to Kali Linux 2021.1

If you are already running Kali Linux, you can upgrade to 2021.1 easily.

echo "deb http://http.kali.org/kali kali-rolling main non-free contrib" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt -y full-upgrade

Lastly, run the following command to reboot your computer –

[ -f /var/run/reboot-required ] && sudo reboot -f

That’s it. You now have upgraded to the latest Kali Linux version. For information on things to do after installing Kali Linux, please visit this guide.