Security issues in operating systems of built organizational networks have always been the most important aspect of administration. To diagnose the existence of vulnerabilities, a lot of work had to be done, and often even after it there were loopholes for attackers. Such manipulations were noticeably simplified with the advent of Kali Linux. Instructions for use for the most part are available only in English. Such a system is not suitable for permanent home use, especially since it is not recommended for beginners. This is a professional tool that you need to learn how to use, requiring fine tuning. And for this, sufficient experience and a complete understanding of the actions to be taken are necessary.
Important Cautions
The capabilities of the Kali Linux operating system are so wide that not everyone uses them to improve the security of their own system. Often it becomes a convenient tool for unlawful actions by attackers. Therefore, it is important to understand at the initial stage of dating that certain manipulations that the system allows to perform may be illegal. Even installing Kali Linux and familiarizing yourself with it for educational purposes in some countries can lead to unpleasant consequences.
As a small piece of advice, you can recommend installing the system on a virtual machine and working through a VPN, if you do not want to be limited to its superficial study. When starting a network scan, it is also necessary to use keys that will avoid problems with the law.
What is Kali Linux?
The predecessor of Kali is quite famous in narrow circles BackTrack Linux. The second is based on Debian, and this provides support for packages and applications developed for this OS, which allows you to make the work quite comfortable through the use of familiar tools. If necessary, and for Kali Linux programs will be quite simple to find.
The distribution kit includes all kinds of utilities that allow you to conduct a full security audit to prevent intrusions. Launched services, access to a computer via a network, used web applications and much more can be analyzed using the tools available in Kali Linux.
As the name implies, the system is based on Linux Kernel. The first version of the distribution was published more than two years ago. It collected all the most basic, the main emphasis was on functionality, and not on external attractiveness. But the great popularity of the system, its active use in a professional environment led to the need to make changes to the distribution.
User reviews about Kali are mostly positive. The system has become more stable compared to BackTrack, the range of programs and utilities has expanded, but on some laptops sometimes the operating system stops seeing the built-in Wi-Fi adapter. This happens when using the Live-launch from a USB flash drive, the problem is fixed using an external adapter or installing the OS on a hard drive.
Changes in the new version
At the end of last summer, Kali Linux 2 was released. Thanks to the updated update, the system has become much more stable and the working interface is more attractive. In addition, many utilities have become outdated in such a long time by the standards of information technology. If earlier it was necessary to search and install new versions independently, now this work is performed by the system itself, which allows you to keep them up to date without much effort. In addition, the system itself received support for rolling distribution.
Technical features
The core of the new distribution is Linux Kernel version 4.0, which is included in the Debian Jessie release. Currently, Gnome 3.14 is used as a graphical interface , and the workspace has gained an updated style and interface, the menu has slightly changed in separate paragraphs.
Available builds
At the moment, there are various distributions that are convenient to use under certain conditions. You can easily find Live-assemblies, images for popular virtual machines, installation packages. In addition, instructions are offered, following which you can prepare the assembly yourself. If necessary, you can assemble your own image for working with ARM, working with this architecture is perfectly supported, providing multi-platform system. Then it will become possible, for example, to install Kali Linux on a tablet or smartphone.
For those who have already installed the first version, it is possible to upgrade to the second inside the system. It is enough to use a set of commands, including obtaining a new distribution kit and installing it. They can be found in detail in the official accompanying documents.
Getting started with the system. Theoretical basis
The extensive capabilities of the system are difficult to recognize without examining the Kali Linux documentation. Instructions for use, unfortunately, in the form of detailed manuals for fine tuning are available on the official website mainly in English, as in most other sources. However, a large number of fans generated in the formed community the appearance of detailed Russian-language manuals based on their own practice. In addition, there are training courses for specialists in Russian, both entry-level and more advanced, for professional corporate work.
Practical development
To study the system, it is enough to install it in any available and most comfortable way, especially since the large selection of available Kali Linux 2 distributions allows it. However, it is for educational purposes, especially in the initial stages, it is better to use a virtual machine. This will be enough to study the set of utilities that are part of it, get used to the user interface, and begin to confidently navigate the system.
During training on working with Kali Linux, instructions for use are simply necessary. In addition to the fact that the OS has rich capabilities that are difficult to learn without any documentation, installing it will require a setting that will allow them to be used most effectively.
The practical development of tools is best done on their own equipment in order to prevent possible problems with the law if the actions taken contradict it, and somehow the fact of their implementation will become known to third parties.
Flash drive launch
After completing the stage of mastering the work with the system, you will want to use it to analyze security and eliminate detected weaknesses in existing networks in the company or at home. The easiest way is to install Kali Linux on a USB flash drive, so that if necessary, the distribution ready for launch is always with you. This is quite simple to do if you use specialized programs for a working operating system, for example, Rufus. Often, it may be useful to support saving files on a system installed on a USB drive, and after rebooting it. This feature is also provided, but it is important to remember that for the described persistence mode at the beginning of each boot, you will need to specify the appropriate mode so that the usual live mode does not start. In addition, if in a simple version a 2GB flash drive is enough, then in the latter case, additional space will be required to create a separate partition in which the necessary data will be stored.
Why is it useful to use Kali Linux?
Attackers use specialized tools in their work, which can significantly reduce the time required for unauthorized access to the network. For example, using Kali Linux, hacking becomes much easier and more convenient, especially when the passwords and hardware settings that are set by default do not change. Unfortunately, even in large corporations this happens quite often. After that, obtaining the necessary data is a technical matter, for a qualified specialist the whole process is not particularly difficult. It is all the more important to use the same tools to identify vulnerabilities in your defense, in order to complicate the work of such people. A simple practical example is hacking Wi-FI routers, which are installed in our time in almost every apartment, not to mention organizations.
Network penetration via Wi-Fi
To crack a Wi-Fi router, it is enough to organize a brute force password search. But even with high-speed equipment, this takes a lot of time. Modern routers operate on the WPS protocol, designed to simplify network configuration. Not all users are versed in the security of wireless networks, they need all possible help in setting them up. Using this protocol, there is no need to set WPA / WEP encryption parameters, which provides protection against unwanted access, manually; they, like the network name, are set automatically by pressing a button on the router. It would seem like a great idea, but, as it often happens, they found vulnerabilities that could be used to crack a password in a few hours.
Not only does the WPS pin code consist of 8 characters, the last of which is a checksum, just check it with blocks, and not the whole, as a result of which the number of possible combinations is reduced to 10998. Using Kali Linux, Wi-Fi network via WPS hacking is quite simple, and it won’t take much time. Enough utility that will monitor the network, and one that directly searches the pin code. For greater clarity, you can check how easy and fast this happens on your home router.
Thus, in order to protect yourself, it is better to disable WPS on the router, where this option is active by default. Otherwise, every neighbor, even a schoolboy, will be able to connect to the network and use it. Instructions for use are quite simple, this is one of the most common examples on all resources dedicated to this operating system.
Kali Linux WiFi: hack
In short, using the iwconfig command, we determine the available network interface (as a rule, it is called wlan0, but it may differ).
After that, we start monitoring the active interface:
airmon-ngstartwlan0
To find out which networks are in scope, run the following command:
airodump-ngmon0
Where mon0 is the name of a previously running monitor.
Of the entire list that appears, only those networks that have WPS enabled are of interest. To determine them, use the command
Wash-Imon0 -C
Now you can choose any goal you like and start selecting a pin code:
Reaver -I mon0 -b -a -vv
This is where the BSSID is written from the result of the previous command. If everything is done correctly, then enumeration of passwords will start. On average, a network is hacked from four to six hours. But some newer router models have protection against WPS attacks and disable brute force after a certain number of failed attempts.
And this is just one side of Kali Linux. Instructions for use will give an exhaustive picture of the capabilities of the system.