Install Kali Linux Apps on Ubuntu [100% Working]

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:

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:

1. Add Kali repositories & Update
2. View Categories
3. Install classicmenu indicator
4. Install Kali menu
5. 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."

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

GitHub: LionSec / katoolin