Now 'Kali Linux' can be run in your Windows 10 Machine - Yes you heard it right!

Penetration Testers and Security Specialists mushbe very familar with Kali Linux. It is one of the few hacking focused Linux distribution. So people with hardly any knowledge of Linux or anything related to computer security are now trying to use Kali as their main Linux distribution. Let me first give you all a very short introduction about Kali Linux!

What is Kali Linux?

Kali Linux is a “Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking Linux Distribution”. Simply said, it’s a Linux distribution packed with security-related tools and targeted toward network and computer security experts. A Linux Distribution is nothing more than a bundle containing the Linux kernel, a set of core utilities and applications and some default settings. So, Kali Linux does not offer something unique in that sense most of the provided tools could be installed on any Linux distribution. 

Well but this was a disappointing factor to those who only use Windows as their OS. Here is the happy news for those guys! The wait is over :) 

Now you can download and install Kali Linux directly from the Microsoft App Store on Windows 10 just like any other application.

I know it sounds a little crazy, but it's true! Let me explain how. 

Kali Linux is the latest Linux distribution to be made available on the Windows App Store for one-click installation, joining the list of other popular distribution such as Ubuntu, OpenSUSE and SUSE Enterprise Linux.

This announcement is super exciting for penetration testers and security professionals who have limited toolsets due to enterprise compliance standards.

In Windows 10, Microsoft has provided a feature called "Windows Subsystem for Linux" (WSL) that allows users to run Linux applications directly on Windows.

For the past few weeks, we've been working with the Microsoft WSL team to get Kali Linux introduced into the Microsoft App Store as an official WSL distribution, and today we're happy to announce the availability of the 'Kali Linux' Windows application," Kali Linux said while announcing the news.

How to download and run Kali Linux on Windows 10 ?

Are you aware of the feature called WSL in windows ? If this is your first time using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), you need to enable this optional Windows feature before getting the Kali Linux app.

Follow these simple steps to enable WSL:

1. Navigate to Control Panel and go to "Apps and features"
2. Select "Programs and Features" from the right panel
3. Click the "Turn Windows features on or off" from the left menu
4. Select the "Windows Subsystem for Linux" and save it
5. Reboot your system

You can even do the same by opening PowerShell as Administrator and running the following command and restart your computer.

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux

Now search for Kali Linux on Windows Store, download it with just a single click. Once you launch the application, it automatically completes Kali installation and will open the console window.

That's it! You can also check Kali Linux documentation for more information.

Kali Linux on Windows does not come with any hacking or penetration testing tools pre-installed, but you can easily install them later. Kindly note that your Antivirus application or Windows defender can trigger false-positive warning for hacking tools and exploits, but you need not worry about it. Add them to your safe list and start exploring it now!


Happy testing!