Install Kali Linux Apps on Ubuntu - Getting Started
Unlike most other operating systems, Linux gives users the ability to customize a distribution to their liking. For example, Kali Linux and Parrot are the most popular Linux distributions used in penetration testing and security auditing. However, that doesn't mean you can't use another Linux distribution for penetration testing. All you need is to find a way to install all the security tools in your desired distribution. Unfortunately, the whole process of installing all these tools one by one sometimes gets complicated and time-consuming since Kali Linux has more than 300 pentesting tools. In this case, Katoolin comes quite in handy.
What is Katoolin?
Katoolin is a free, open-source python script developed by Lionsec to install all Kali Linux apps at once or manually one by one in all Linux distributions of your choice. This post will give you a step-by-step guide on installing Kali Linux on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS using Katoolin.
Requirements
To successfully install Kali Linux apps on Ubuntu, we will need to meet the requirements below.
- Git
- Python version 2.7
- Katoolin
- An active internet connection
Step-1: Install Git
In most recent Linux distributions, Git comes installed by default. However, if that's not the case, use the command below to install Git.
sudo apt install git
After a successful install, use the command below to check the version of Git installed.
git --version
Sample Output:
Step-2: Install Python 2.7
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS comes pre-installed with Python 3. Unfortunately, the Katoolin script is written in Python 2. To get started, run any of the commands below.
sudo apt install python2
OR
sudo apt install python-minimal
When done, run the --version
command to check the installed version of Python with the command below.
python2 --version
Sample Output:
python2.
Step-3: Install Katoolin
After successfully installing Python2, we can now go ahead and install Katoolin. Execute the command below to clone the Katoolin GitHub repository.
sudo git clone https://github.com/LionSec/katoolin.git
Sample Output:
When you run ls
command, you should see a new folder with the name "katoolin." To install Katoolin in our Ubuntu system, we will move/copy the katoolin folder script into the /usr/bin
directory with the command below.
sudo cp katoolin/katoolin.py /usr/bin/katoolin
Sample Output:
Make the script executable using the command below.
sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/katoolin
Step-4: Launch Katoolin
To start using katoolin, run any of the commands below:
sudo katoolin
OR
sudo python2 /usr/bin/katoolin
Sample Output:
As of writing this article, Katoolin gives you four options to install kali linux apps on Ubuntu:
- Add Kali repositories & Update
- View Categories
- Install classicmenu indicator
- Install Kali menu
- Help
Step-5: Add Kali Repositories & Update
To install all Kali Linux apps on Ubuntu, we will need to add Kali repositories to our system. That will enable us to download applications available in Kali repositories. In the Katoolin menu, enter 1 to "add Kali Linux repositories" on the Ubuntu system.
Linux repositories are storage locations where the system retrieves updates and applications. You will see a prompt, "What do you want to do."
Press 1 again to select the option "Add Kali Linux repositories."
gpg: keyserver receive failed: No name
, as shown in the image above, don't panic. Press Ctrl + C to close the katoolin interface and execute the command below.wget -q -O - archive.kali.org/archive-key.asc | sudo apt-key add sudo apt update
Sample Output:
Now run the katoolin command again to open the katoolin interface.
Select option 1 to "Add Kali Linux repositories."
Select option 2, "Update," on the next prompt since we had already added the repositories.
When done, type gohome
to return the katoolin main interface window.
Step-6: View Categories to install Kali Linux Apps on Ubuntu
After successfully adding Kali repositories to your system, we can now start installing the various security tools. Enter "2" to select the "View Categories" option.
You will see a list of all the various security tools categories available. If you have used Kali Linux before, you will realize these categories are arranged just as they appear on the Kali Linux application menu. If you want to install all the tools in their various categories, enter zero (0). To install tools in a particular category, enter the option of that category.
For example, in this post, we will install "Information Gathering" tools. We will press one (1) and hit enter. That will open a whole new list of all the information-gathering tools available for install. To install all the tools in this category, press zero (0). To install only a single tool, press the tool number. In our case, we will install Nmap. Therefore, we will press 18 and hit enter.
You can use this method to install any Kali Linux tool in your system or all of them if you wish. Once done, type "gohome" to go back to the main interfaces window.
Step-7: Install the Classic Menu indicator
The classic menu indicator is an indicator applet for the Ubuntu Desktop environment. It's a reliable notification applet that sits on your Ubuntu notification bar. On the katoolin main interfaces, type 3 and hit enter to install the Classic Menu indicator. The menu will appear at the top of the window, as shown in the image below.
Step-8: Install Kali Menu
If you have installed all the Kali Linux tools, it would be good to install the Kali Linux menu to manage the different categories. Type "gohome" to go back to the main window and press 4 to install the Kali menu. When done, you should see the menu icon on your Ubuntu top bar as shown in the image below.
Conclusion
That's it! I believe by now; you can easily install Kali Linux apps on Ubuntu system. Luckily the procedure in this post can be replicated on any other Debian-based Linux distribution. If you found this post helpful, please share the love by sharing it with friends on your social platforms.
Further Reading
Before you install the kali repository do :
Install the Kali repo via katoolin.
install what you want.
jump back into katoolin and remove repo.
hello way to prevent from crash is remove repository after install tools. after that when you update your system only ubuntu update.
Hello, in case if you want to update the tools some time down the line how would you go about it without the repositories or you go back to katoolin and add them again?
thanks for the post
it was helpful and I have successfully installed all the tools that i needed
but now I’m facing some issue
my ubuntu is getting updates from kali
after installing and restart
my system keeps crashing several times
should i delete those repositories ?
please let me know