There are hundreds of pre-packaged tools for pentesting, security research, forensics, web app testing, and reverse engineering.Kali Linux provides a high level of safety (e.g., custom kernel) and is actively maintained by Offensive Security.Kali Linux is by far the most widely used and recommended by security experts of the distros in the list. See the Best Vulnerability Scanning Tools Kali Linux
You can leverage lite editions if you prefer minimal installations, but such versions might not contain the pentesting resources you’re looking for, and you’ll probably have to install them manually. It’s important to note that these OSs have specific variations, so make sure you pick the right one.
The two systems can be employed by intermediate and experienced security professionals, with a pretty fast learning curve, but their approach is not the same. Parrot: Debian-based Distrosīoth Kali Linux and Parrot OS are Debian-based distros that are often used for pentesting. The idea is to isolate your testing environment. Besides, you can take snapshots to quickly restore a working environment at will. Do not install the following distros as your primary system unless you know what you are doing.įor example, if you need to test for ransomware, it’s better to have it on a VM that can be compromised without affecting your personal files. In any case, it is strongly recommended to use VMs (virtual machines). Besides, if you’re new to Linux, it’s probably better to start with generic systems. You can totally use a classic distro like Ubuntu with a few packages and the right configurations and you’ll be able to achieve most tasks. You get hundreds of packages, scripts, wordlists, and other software, but it usually requires solid knowledge and experience to master each tool, prevent misuses and rabbit holes, and conduct tests in safe conditions. Most pentesting distros have two major drawbacks: they can be overwhelming, and they require advanced knowledge. If you’re an absolute beginner, I would not recommend using a pentesting distro.
Popular tools such as the Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP, Nikto, or BeEF are available as standalone apps and packages. See the Best Penetration Testing Tools Some Experience RequiredĬommon operations like enumerating services, cracking passwords, intercepting HTTP requests, or even analyzing malware do not necessarily require a pentesting OS. Here are eight of the best Linux distros for cybersecurity use cases, for beginners through advanced users, along with some issues to consider as you select a Linux security distro.
Ubuntu, a famous Linux distro you may already know, is also Debian-derived. Linux has an extensive range of open-source distributions that pentesters, ethical hackers and network defenders can use in their work, whether for pentesting, digital forensics or other cybersecurity uses.Īlso known as “distros,” these distributions are variations of Linux that include the Linux kernel and usually a specific package manager.įor example, Kali Linux, one of the most popular pentesting OSs, is Debian-based, which means it’s based on the Debian Project.