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Kali Linux comes with more than 600 preinstalled penetration/security tools.

Having these preinstalled makes Kali Linux a true penetration testing platform for the security engineer.

Tools are categorized as follows:-

  • Information Gathering
  • Sniffing & Spoofing
  • Vulnerability Analysis
  • Exploitation Tools
  • Password Attacks
  • Wireless Attacks
  • Forensic Tools
  • Maintaining Access
  • Hardware Hacking
  • Web Applications
  • Stress Testing
  • Reverse Engineering
  • Reporting Tools

To see a complete list of tools – click here

In this article, I will explain how to install Kali Linux on VMWare Fusion.

Installation Requirements

  • Disk Space – Minimum 10 GB
  • Architecture – i386 or adm64
  • RAM – Minimum 512 MB

Download Kali Linux ISO File

Download the necessary ISO file from the official download page. For this demo, I have installed it as highlighted below.

download-kali-linux

Its more than 3 GB so based on the Internet speed, it may take a few minutes.

Installing Kali Linux

This assumes you have download kali-linux-2.0-amd64.iso and ready to install Kali Linux.

  • Open VMWare Fusion on your PC (I am using MAC in this demo)
  • Click on Add icon and New

vmware-fusion-add-new

  • Select the installation method as “Install from disk or image” and click on Continue

vmware-installation-method

  • Click on “Use another disc or disc image” and locate the downloaded iso file. It will appear in the list as shown below, click on Continue

vmware-new-virtual-machine

  • Select Other >> Other 64-bit and click on Continue

save-vmware-image

  • Here you will notice, I have hard disk capacity is 8 GB but the minimum requirement to install 10 GB so I will go to customize Settings and increase the hard disk space.

vmware-finish

  • Click on Customize Settings
  • Enter the name and save it

save-vmware-image

  • Click on “Hard Disk (IDE)

vmware-hard-disk

  • I will increase to 15 GB and click on Apply

vmware-increase-hdd-space

  • Click on the Play button to begin the installation

vmware-play-button

  • You will be greeted with the following screen when I will select “Graphical Install” and press enter to proceed with the installation

kali-begin-graphical-install

  • Select the language and click on Continue

kali-select-language

  • Select the location then continue

kali-select-location

  • Configure the keyboard to be used and click on continue

kali-select-keyboard

  • Select the ethernet to be used. As I am using VMWare on MAC, I will be sharing with MAC ethernet so selected “no ethernet card” and click on Continue

kali-no-ethernet-card

  • You will get a notification that “No network interface detected” but that’s fine. Click on continue

kali-network-no-detected

  • Enter the Hostname and continue

kali-configure-hostname

  • Enter the root password and click on Continue

kali-root-password

  • Select “Guided- user entire disk” and click on Continue

kali-partition-disk

  • You will get partition disk information that will data will be erased but that’s ok because there is nothing at the moment. Click on continue

kali-partition-disk-default

  • Select the partition as “all files in one partition (recommended for new users) and continue

kali-select-partition

  • Confirmation before installation start writing changes to disk, click on continue

kali-finish-partitioning

  • Select “Yes” on final confirmation and click on continue

kali-partitian-change-disk

  • It will take a few minutes to install the Kali Linux and during installation, you may see the following progress bar

installing-the-kali-system

  • It will prompt you to configure the package manager but I will proceed with no to keep the installation procedure simple.

kali-package-manager

  • Select Yes to install the GRUB boot loader on the hard disk and continue

kali-install-grub

  • Select the disk to make it bootable and click on Continue

kali-select-grub

  • And finally, you will have an “Installation Complete” message. Click on continue

kali-installation-complete

  • It will take few seconds will boot the Kali Linux and give you a login screen as below.

kali-login-screen

  • Enter the password, which you configured during installation and you will see the first screen as shown below.

kali-screen-after-login

Woah! It’s a bit long, isn’t it? Well, worth it!

So this was the installation guide, and I hope it helps you to install Kali Linux on PC or macOS using VMware fusion and all of you to explore. If you are a beginner, I would recommend taking this Kali Linux tutorial.

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  • Chandan Kumar
    Author
    Chandan Kumar is the founder of Geekflare. He’s helped millions to excel in the digital realm. Passionate about technology, He’s on a mission to explore the world and amplify growth for professionals and businesses.

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