Can I install Kali Linux on Mac? Although Kali Linux is based on Debian, Apple/rEFInd detects it as Windows. If you are using a DVD, you may need to refresh the menu by pressing ESC once the disk if fully spinning. If you still only see one volume (EFI), then the installation medium is not supported for your Apple device. The basic concept of sniffing tools is as simple as wiretapping and Kali Linux has some popular tools for this purpose. In this chapter, we will learn about the sniffing and spoofing tools available in Kali. Burpsuite can be used as a sniffing tool between your browser and the webservers to find the.
If you are planning to start your career as an ethical hacker, or have interest in hacking, you must have heard about Kali Linux. Yes, it is yet another great distribution of Linux, which is targeted to the penetration testers and white hat hackers. Kali Linux is, just like other Linux platforms, an open source project, but is maintained and funded by Offensive Security, which provides a handful of security and penetration testing services. Kali Linux is not the only best available open source penetration testing and ethical hacking distro; there are dozens. So, If you always have been a Windows or Mac user, it will be a tough time to cope with the new user interface and a new set of features and software, available on Linux, and thus, it is not recommended to install Kali Linux, on your system, as the main operating system.
Most users want to know how to install Kali Linux on the virtual machine, and you will get the answer to your question here. There are a number of virtualization platforms, where you can install Kali Linux on top of your Windows or Mac, and even Linux, if you are comfortable with some other Linux distro. I will show the tutorial to install Kali Linux on VirtualBox, as VirtualBox is a virtual machine platform, which is available for Windows, Linux, Mac, and a number of other platforms like Solaris. If you know, how to use other virtual machine platforms like VMWare Player or VMWare Workstation, you can even install Kali Linus, on that, and the process is not going to be too much different. Furthermore, the VirtualBox is also available in a Portable version that can be used directly from to run any operating on any computer without installing the Virtualbox software locally. Here is a tutorial on that– Install Portable Virtualbox on USB to Run Virtual Machines Anywhere.
The step by step process of Kali Linux Installation on Virtual machine given here in this tutorial is same for Window 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Linux (different flavors & version) including MacOS.
Install Kali Linux on Virtualbox
Download the Kali Linux installer image for a Virtual box.
Your first task would be to download the Kali Linux ISO from the official website of Kali Linux. You can get a list of all the downloadable ISOs here.
You can find a number of ISOs, but I will recommend you to go for a 64-bit edition of Kali Linux. Just go for the one, at the top. You can even download the same ISO image, by clicking here.
*If you think, you are not having enough resources, you can even go for the Light versions, which I haven’t tried though. If you are having an internet connection, offering faster peering, you can even go for the torrent download, instead of the regular HTTP download, recommended for most users.
Configuring the Kali Linux virtual machine
After downloading the image, open VirtualBox, and click on the button saying ‘New’. You will have to set the type to ‘Linux’, and the version to ‘Other Linux (64-bit)’ You can give any name, but I have given the name Kali, to easily recognize it, when there are many virtual machines.
Assigning RAM to Kali Linux on VirtualBox
Now, you will have to choose the amount of memory, you would like to reserve for the virtual machine, or the Kali Linux installation. I will recommend you to go for a minimum of 2 GB or 2048 MB. If you can assign more, it is always a great idea. Click on ‘Next’
Create a virtual hard disk for Kali Linux
Now, choose the option saying ‘Create a virtual hard disk now’, and click on ‘Create’. Now choose VDI or VirtualBox Disk Image. If you know how to use VHD or VMDK, you can even choose them. Click on ‘Next’ once again.
Now, you will have to choose the allocation of the virtual hard drive on your physical disk. I will recommend you to choose the option saying ‘Dynamically allocated’, to allow VirtualBox to allocate the space on your physical disk, smartly. Click on ‘Next’.
Now you will have to choose the size of the disk, or the storage space from your hard drive or SSD, which you want to assign to Kali Linux. I will recommend you to go for 20 GB. But if you are having more room, go for more storage, as well. Do not set the default value, i.e. 8 GB, as it will no install on that little amount of storage. Click on ‘Create’ now.
The creation of the Virtual Machine is complete. Now it is the time to start the real game of installing Kali Linux on the virtual machine created.
Installing Kali Linux on VirtualBox
The process of installing Kali Linux is going to be same for other virtual machine platforms, and it is kind of similar, with some basic differences, in case of installation on a physical machine, as well.
Choose Kali on the left hand side of VirtualBox, and click on ‘Start’.
Select Kali Linux ISO file
Now, you will have to choose the location, where the ISO of the Kali Linux is present. You will have to click on the icon beside the drop-down menu saying Host Drive. Locate the ISO, and click on ‘Start’.
Kali Linux Boot Menu
You will get the following screen, and you will have to select ‘Install’, and hit the enter key. (Use the up and down arrow keys to select, as you will be unable to use the mouse, as long as the installation continues, which you should keep in mind.)
Language Selection
Now, you will have to language. Select your preferred language, which is ‘English’ for me, and hit the enter key. Then, you will have to choose the country, which is ‘India’ for me, and hit the enter key once again.
Now you will have to choose the Keymap, and I am choosing ‘American English’, which can also be different, if you are having a keyboard with some different layout, and hit the enter key.
Network Configuration
Now, you will have to assign a Hostname. You can give any name. I am assigning the name ‘Kali’ to it. Now select ‘Continue’, and hit the enter key. You will get the option to choose the Domain name. Keep this field empty, and carry on. You can change such network settings later on.
Set Kali Linux root password
Now, you will have to enter a password. Just enter the password, and continue. Just like entering passwords in different other places, you will have to enter the password twice, by selecting ‘Continue’.
Partition the disk
Now, you will be asked to partition the disk. I will not recommend you to partition the disk, as we are using a virtual disk. Though you can partition, if you feel like doing that, for a better experience. To skip partitioning, just select ‘Guided – use entire disk’, and hit the enter key.
As you haven’t portioned the disk, there will be a single disk available. Just hit the enter key to carry on. Now, you will get two options. Go for the first option saying ‘All files in one partition (recommended for new users)’, and hit the enter key.
Now select ‘Finish partitioning and write changes to disk’, and hit the enter key.
The installation will start, and if you have followed all the steps properly, the installation will be completed without any issues, and you will get the following message, after the installation is complete. The installation will take few minutes, and I will recommend you not to use your computer, when the installation takes place.
Configure the package manager
Once the files are installed, you will be asked, whether to install a network mirror, in order to configure the package manager. I will recommend you to select ‘No’, and carry on with the installation process.
Finally, you will be asked, whether to install the GRUB. Just click on ‘Yes’. After that, you will get two options. Go for the second option, which is available.
Now finally select ‘Continue’ in order to start using Kali Linux.
The installation is not complete.
Starting Kali Linux
Once everything is completed, you will be asked to enter the username, which should be ‘root’. Just hit the enter key, and you will asked to enter the password. The password should be that password, which you entered, at the time of installing Kali.
At the time of booting your virtual machine, you will get 2 options. Just go for the option saying ‘Kali GNU/Linux’, to carry on with the process of starting Kali Linux.
After the booting completed, you will get the following screen. Yes, the cool refreshing user interface of Kali Linux. Once you see the image, your hard work is now fruitful.
Now, you can start using Kali Linux, just in the way, you can use any other operating system. Here is a screenshot, showing Mozilla Firefox on Kali Linux, with the homepage of ‘Google’ loaded on it.
You can even install the Virtual Box Guest Additions, if you need that. Moreover, you can also download and install the Virtual Box Guest extension pack in order to get the extra hardware functionalities, which is present on your computer. If you don’t the installation of extension pack then see our article: An easy way to Install VirtualBox extension Pack on Windows, MacOS & Ubuntu Linux.
The installation process is quite easy, and it is going to be the same on all other virtual machine platforms. I have chosen VirtualBox to show the installation of Kali Linux, as the same process can be used to install Kali Linux, on all the operating systems, as VirtualBox is open source, and is available for all platforms, unlike other virtual machine platforms, limited to a certain platform.
Hope the small tutorial on how to install Kali Linux on VirtualBox, was helpful for you, and if you face any kind of troubles at the time of installation, feel free to comment it down below.
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IMPORTANT! Some newer Macs do not run Linux well, or at all. Please look into if your Mac can use Linux before attempting.
Kali Linux Installation Requirements
Since the release of Kali Linux 1.0.8, Kali Linux supports EFI out of the box. This added feature simplifies the process of getting Kali installed and running on various Apple MacBook Air, Pro, and Retina models.
The make/model/year of the device will determine how successful your experience will be, with newer devices having a better chance of working. Pre-installing rEFInd may also increase the odds of success on older devices.
This guide will show you to replace OSX with Kali Linux, with the option of encrypting the partition. However, if you wish to keep macOS/OSX, you will want to refer to our dual-boot guide instead.
Installation Prerequisites
- A minimum of 20 GB disk space for the Kali Linux install.
- A minimum of 1 GB RAM. 2 GB or more recommended.
- For devices older than late 2012, you will need a blank DVD.
- USB booting may not work without rEFInd installed.
- For devices newer than late 2012, you’ll need a blank DVD or a USB drive.
- OSX 10.7 or higher.
Preparing for the Installation
- Download Kali Linux.
- Burn the Kali Linux ISO image to a DVD or copy the image to USB drive.
- Backup any important information on the device to an external media.
Kali Linux Installation Procedure
- To start your installation, power on the device and immediately press and hold the Option key until you see the boot menu.
2. Now insert your chosen installation media. If everything was successful, you will see two volumes (EFI & Windows). Even though Kali Linux is based on Debian, Apple detects it as Windows.
Kali Linux For Mac
Select the Windows volume to continue.
- If you only see one volume (EFI), then the installation media is not supported for this device. You may wish to install rEFInd and try again.
- If you select the EFI volume, the booting will hang at this point and you will not be able to continue.
3. You should be greeted with the Kali boot screen. You are free to choose ‘Live’, ‘Graphical Install’, or ‘(Text-Mode) Install’ to install. In this example, we picked ‘Graphical install’.
4. Select your preferred language and then your country location. You’ll also be prompted to configure your keyboard with the appropriate keymap.
5. The installer will copy the image to your hard disk, probe your network interfaces, and then prompt you to enter a hostname and domain name for your system. In the example below, we’ve entered ‘kali’ as our hostname.
- If the setup detects multiple NICs, it may prompt you which one to use for the install.
- If the chosen NIC is 802.11 based, you will be asked for your wireless network information before being prompted for a hostname.
- If there isn’t a DHCP service running on the network, it will ask you to manually enter the network information after probing for network interfaces.
- If Kali Linux doesn’t detect your NIC, you either need to include the drivers for it when prompted, or generate a custom Kali Linux ISO with them pre-included.
6. Enter a robust password for the root account.
7. Next, set your time zone.
8. The installer will now probe your disks and offer you five choices. In our example, we’re using the entire disk on our computer and not configuring LVM (logical volume manager), so we selected ‘Guided - use the entire disk’.
![Kali Linux For Mac Kali Linux For Mac](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126474050/134480874.jpg)
Kali Linux For Virtual Machine
- Experienced users can use the ‘Manual’ option for more granular configuration options. This option will also allow you to set up encrypted LVM, so Kali Linux would be fully encrypted. The screen afterwards will prompt you for the password. You will have to enter the same password every time you start up Kali Linux.
Kali will automatically securely wipe the hard disk before asking for the LVM password. This may take ‘a while’ (hours) depending on the size and speed of the drive. If you wish to risk it, you can skip it.
9. The installer will ask you to confirm which disk to erase. Double check then confirm the selection.
10. The next stage is to select the partition structure you want to use. We will go ahead and use the default option and have everything on one partition. Afterwards, the installer will display an overview. If you agree with what it suggests, press the continue button.
11. Next, you’ll have one last chance to review your disk configuration before the installer makes irreversible changes. After you click Continue, the installer will go to work and you’ll have an almost finished installation.
12. This screen configures the use of our Internet network mirrors. Kali can use our online central repository to distribute applications to keep packages up-to-date and allow for additional programs to be installed more easily. Should you need to enter any appropriate proxy information, the next screen will allow you to enter details.
If you select ‘NO’ in this screen, you will NOT be able to install packages from Kali repositories until you alter your sources.
13. Next, install the GRUB bootloader.
14. Finally, click Continue to finish installing Kali Linux. It is highly recommend that you restart your machine at this stage.
Once the install has finished, repeat the first few steps again to boot into ‘Live mode’ once more.
15. If the gdisk package isn’t included your Kali Linux ISO, you need to install it.
If you enabled the network repository during the setup, this can easily be done as follows:
- We are now going to convert the MBR to a hybrid, which will allow for Apple’s EFI to detect and boot to GRUB.
- After that is complete, all that is left is to reboot, take out the installation media, and enjoy Kali.