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Kali Linux Ethical Hacking OS Is Now Available from the Windows 10 Store

It's super easy to install and run Kali Linux on WSL

Mar 5, 2018 21:54 GMT  ·  By
Kali Linux on WSL
   Kali Linux on WSL

Microsoft announced today that it brought the famous and acclaimed Kali Linux (formerly BackTrack Linux) open-source ethical hacking and penetration testing GNU/Linux distribution on WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux).

At the request of the community, Microsoft made it possible to download and install Kali Linux directly from the Windows 10 Store on its Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) feature, which needs to be enabled on your Windows 10 machine before attempting to run Kali Linux (see the instructions below).

"We’re excited to announce that you can now download & install Kali Linux via the Windows Store," said Tara Raj, Program Manager at Microsoft. "Our community expressed great interest in bringing Kali Linux to WSL in response to a blog post on Kali Linux on WSL. We are happy to officially introduce Kali Linux on WSL."

Here's how to run Kali Linux on WSL in Windows 10

To enable WSL feature on Windows 10, all you have to do is to open PowerShell as Administrator and run the "Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux" command. Restart your computer and then download and install Kali Linux from the Windows Store.

Of course, you'll have to run Windows 10 Fall Creators Update or a later version. Once Kali Linux is successfully installed inside Windows 10, you can easily launch the Linux operating system from the Start Menu. A console window will immediately open to complete the installation.

At some point, you'll be asked to create a Linux user and assign a password. That's it! You can now enjoy the Kali Linux ethical hacking and penetration testing operating system on your Windows 10 machine. Microsoft also offers the popular Ubuntu and OpenSuSE GNU/Linux distribution on WSL through its Windows 10 Store.

Kali Linux is a very popular, free, and open-source Linux-based operating system that follows a rolling release model where you install once and recieve updates forever. The OS is created by Offensive Security, a team of skilled developers who are known for the famous BackTrack Linux. Kali Linux is currently derived from Debian GNU/Linux.