The developers of Kali Linux, one of the most widely used distributions for ethical hacking in the world, have just announced the release of Kali 2020.1, this year’s first major operating system update, which promises to include multiple changes and substantial improvements, useful for all pentesters & ethical hackers.
For the development of the latest version of this distro, users’ feedback was essential. In other words, every single new feature included in Kali Linux 2020.1 arose from the need to listen to ethical hackers using earlier versions of the distribution. Below, we’ll review some of the improvements highlighted in this new release.
Changes to the default password
The main complaint regarding previous versions of the distro was the use of the default <<root>> user to access it. Previously, the default access credentials to Kali Linux (user/password) were root/toor, a very unsecure measure. With the release of version 2020.1, kali/kali access credentials have been implemented by default, representing a substantial security enhancement.
New ways to install the distro
The new version of Kali Linux can now be installed from the same ISO image; the image will not require an internet connection and experts and enthusiasts of ethical hacking will be able to customize the elements in their distro (desktop, tools, etc.).
In addition, developers have included two new ways to install the distro: An image for installing Kali from the network, and ‘Live’ image, which will allow users to get access to Kali Linux without installing the distro on their PC.
Ethical hacking from your mobile device
Developers have also included improvements to their mobile systems. An example is devices with ARM processors, which will allow the use of new versions of Kali, albeit in a limited way.
Theme update
The appearance of the distro was also updated in Kali Linux 2020.1, including a Night Mode, changes in the design of icons, applications and menus.
Improvements in Kali-Undercover
For security reasons, many ethical hacking experts employ Kali-Undercover, a feature that generates aesthetic changes in the distro interface to make it look like a Windows system. In the new version, this feature has been improved to be much more similar to the interface of Windows systems, so it will be more difficult to distinguish between both.
On the other hand, the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS) highlights some other changes in version 2020.1, such as the removal of Python 2 and its dependent packages, new wallpapers, and new packages and tools. Kali Linux 2020.1 is now available on the official download platform. If you use an older version, you can find the update manual on the official developers’ page.
He is a well-known expert in mobile security and malware analysis. He studied Computer Science at NYU and started working as a cyber security analyst in 2003. He is actively working as an anti-malware expert. He also worked for security companies like Kaspersky Lab. His everyday job includes researching about new malware and cyber security incidents. Also he has deep level of knowledge in mobile security and mobile vulnerabilities.
