14 DAY TRIAL // BackBox Linux, a distribution based on Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS, developed perform penetration tests and security assessments has just received a new update and is now ready for download.
The latest branch of BackBox Linux, 4.x, was made available back in October, shortly after Ubuntu 14.04 LTS was released. Since then, the BackBox Linux devs have upgraded their system on the newer Ubuntu 14.04.1 version and now they've done it once more. As you would expect, it's more to this update than that just a new base.
BackBox Linux is actually in a very select company and has competition like Kali or DEFT. Some of the older users might have also heard about the famous BackTrack, which was built with pretty much the same purpose. Building distros is one thing, but building OSes for penetration testing is a different kind of beast and the fact that there are quite a few of them is a good testimony as to why.
What's new in BackBox Linux 4.2
BackBox Linux is based on Ubuntu, but it uses the Xfce desktop environment, which means that it should be pretty easy to use, even by beginners. According to the changelog, the Linux kernel 3.16 is now pre-installed, Ruby has been upgraded to version 2.1, the installer now has LVM and Full Disk Encryption options, the RAM is wiped at shutdown or reboot, the Anonymous mode has been refined, and numerous other packages have been updated.
You can find more details about this release in the official announcement. You can also download the ISO images for BackBox Linux 4.2 from Softpedia and give it a try. If you already have the distro installed, you can run the following commands in terminal in order to upgrade it:
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get install -f
sudo apt-get install linux-image-generic-lts-utopic linux-headers-generic-lts-utopic linux-signed-image-generic-lts-utopic
sudo apt-get purge ri1.9.1 ruby1.9.1 ruby1.9.3 bundler
sudo gem cleanup
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/gems/1.*
sudo apt-get install backbox-default-settings backbox-desktop --reinstall
sudo apt-get install backbox-tools --reinstall
sudo apt-get install beef-project metasploit-framework whatweb wpscan --reinstall
sudo apt-get autoremove --purge