Kali Linux Gets a Rolling Edition with Continuously Updated Penetration Testing Tools

Offensive Security announced on January 21, 2016, that their popular penetration testing operating system, Kali Linux, was getting a rolling release edition, at the request of numerous users.

Kali Linux 2016.1 is the first version of the Kali Linux Rolling Edition, and it comes after five months of thorough testing. Thus, it brings you the latest and greatest penetration testing tools, as well as a fresh base synchronized with the upstream software repositories of the stable Debian GNU/Linux 9.0 "Stretch" (Testing) operating system.

"Today marks an important milestone for us with the first public release of our Kali Linux rolling distribution. Kali switched to a rolling release model back when we hit version 2.0 (codename “sana”), however the rolling release was only available via an upgrade from 2.0 to kali-rolling for a select brave group," reads the announcement.

What's new in Kali Linux 2016.1

Some will say that rolling releases are bad, but many of you will have to agree to the fact that Kali Linux Rolling Edition will always have the latest and greatest penetration testing tools, as Offensive Security will try to update all the pre-installed packages to their latest versions available.

Also new in the Kali Linux 2016.1 release is the availability of the Kali Linux Package Tracker, an online tool that lets users track the evolution of the Kali Linux operating system via a powerful web-based interface or through emails. There have also been some major changes in the installation process of the VMWare guest tools.

Lastly, we kindly inform those of you who would like to switch from the static Kali 2.0 release to the new Kali Linux Rolling Edition that the upgrade process is quite easy. All they have to do is run the following commands, one by one, hitting Enter after each one, in a terminal emulator app. Otherwise, Download the Kali Linux 2016.1 ISO images right now from Softpedia.

Kali Linux 2016.1